Chapter 12, Problem 12.106QE

In the 1986 Lake Nyos disaster (see the chapter introduction), an estimated 90 billion kilograms of CO₂ was dissolved in the lake at the time.

1. (a) What volume of gas is this at standard temperature and pressure?
2. (b) Assuming that this dissolved gas was in equilibrium with the normal partial pressure of CO₂ in the atmosphere (0.038%, or 0.29 torr), use the Henry’s law constant for CO₂ in water to estimate the volume of Lake Nyos.