---
title: "A student places a sample of gaseous \\(\\text{xenon}\\) into a sealed syringe at \\(298\\text{ K}\\) and \\(1.0\\text{ atm}\\). An identical syringe contains an equal mass of liquid \\(\\text{xenon}\\) at \\(165\\text{ K}\\). When the external pressure on both pistons is increased from \\(1.0\\text{ atm}\\) to \\(5.0\\text{ atm}\\), the volume of the gaseous \\(\\text{xenon}\\) decreases significantly, while the volume of the liquid \\(\\text{xenon}\\) remains virtually unchanged. Which of the following best explains why the gas is far more compressible than the liquid?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119893/"
date_modified: "2026-08-21T08:17:08+00:00"
---

# A student places a sample of gaseous \(\text{xenon}\) into a sealed syringe at \(298\text{ K}\) and \(1.0\text{ atm}\). An identical syringe contains an equal mass of liquid \(\text{xenon}\) at \(165\text{ K}\). When the external pressure on both pistons is increased from \(1.0\text{ atm}\) to \(5.0\text{ atm}\), the volume of the gaseous \(\text{xenon}\) decreases significantly, while the volume of the liquid \(\text{xenon}\) remains virtually unchanged. Which of the following best explains why the gas is far more compressible than the liquid?

A student places a sample of gaseous \(\text{xenon}\) into a sealed syringe at \(298\text{ K}\) and \(1.0\text{ atm}\). An identical syringe contains an equal mass of liquid \(\text{xenon}\) at \(165\text{ K}\). When the external pressure on both pistons is increased from \(1.0\text{ atm}\) to \(5.0\text{ atm}\), the volume of the gaseous \(\text{xenon}\) decreases significantly, while the volume of the liquid \(\text{xenon}\) remains virtually unchanged. Which of the following best explains why the gas is far more compressible than the liquid?

- **A.** Gaseous \(\text{xenon}\) is more compressible because the individual \(\text{Xe}\) atoms deform and decrease in atomic radius when external pressure is applied.
- **B.** Gaseous \(\text{xenon}\) is more compressible because the average distance between particles is much greater than the size of the particles, leaving large amounts of empty space.
- **C.** Liquid \(\text{xenon}\) is less compressible because the \(\text{Xe}\) atoms are locked into fixed positions within a rigid crystal lattice.
- **D.** Liquid \(\text{xenon}\) is less compressible because strong covalent bonds between adjacent \(\text{Xe}\) atoms resist compression.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119893/*