[Physics] Does Humid Air Rise (neglecting the effects of weather turbulence-for example in a closed environment like a sealed room)

airgashumidityideal-gasmass

An internet search will find many people claiming that Humid Air (water vapor) rises. However, I am skeptical because if lighter molecules rose then, it follows that the air would be stratified by molecular weight.

Facts:
Water vapor has molecular weight = 18
Nitrogen has molecular weight = 28
Oxygen has molecular weight = 32

So, Water Vapor has the least mass.

However, If lighter gases rose
then (using the above data)
Nitrogen would rise
Oxygen would fall
and we would be breathing 99% Oxygen (neglecting the 1% of other gasses)
this is not true
So
I believe that gasses do not behave this way
as illustrated by the fact that we breathe 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen
Therefore, it seems to me that (in a closed environment) gasses mix randomly, with perhaps a very small gravitational contribution.

Best Answer

You have to look at Boltzmann factors:

$$ e^{-\frac{E}{kT}} = e^{-\frac{mgh}{kT}}$$

for $m=18u$ and $m=28u$. Roughly at 300K and uniform $g$. For 1 amu, the scale height is:

$$ h \approx \frac{kT}{mg} = \frac{4\times 10^{-21}J}{1.6\times10^{-26}J/m}=250,000m$$

Divide that by 18 or 28 your get a scale height on the order of 10-14km, which is the scale height of the atmosphere. Hence, you don't see any stratification locally.