Gas Laws
Gases
Kinetic Molecular Theory
• The theory that explains the behavior of gases
• This theory is based on the following postulates, or
assumptions.
Gases
Kinetic Molecular Theory
1. Gases are composed of a large number of particles that behave
like hard, spherical objects in a state of constant, random
motion.
2. These particles move in a straight line until they collide with
another particle or the walls of the container.
3. These particles are much smaller than the distance between
particles. Most of the volume of a gas is therefore empty space.
Gases
Kinetic Theory
5. Collisions between gas particles or collisions with the walls of
the container are perfectly elastic. None of the energy of a gas
particle is lost when it collides with another particle or with the
walls of the container.
6. The average kinetic energy of a collection of gas particles
depends on the temperature of the gas and nothing else.
Gases
Kinetic Molecular Theory
Postulates Evidence
1. Gases are tiny molecules in mostly The compressibility of gases.
empty space.
2. There are no attractive forces Gases do not clump.
between molecules.
3. The molecules move in constant, Gases mix rapidly.
rapid, random, straight-line motion.
4. The molecules collide classically with Gases exert pressure that
container walls and one another. does not diminish over time.
5. The average kinetic energy of the Charles’ Law
molecules is proportional to the Kelvin
Gases
temperature of the sample.
Characteristics of Gases
• Unlike liquids and solids, they
Expand to fill their containers.
Are highly compressible.
Have extremely low densities.
Gases
Gas expansion Gas compression
Pressure
• Pressure is the
amount of force
applied to an area.
F
P=
A
• Atmospheric
pressure is the
weight of air per
unit of area.
Gases
Gases
Units of Pressure
• Pascals
1 Pa = 1 N/m2
• Bar
1 bar = 105 Pa = 100 kPa
Gases
Units of Pressure
• mm Hg or torr
These units are literally
the difference in the
heights measured in mm
(h) of two connected
columns of mercury.
• Atmosphere
1.00 atm = 760 torr
Gases
Manometer
Used to measure the
difference in pressure
between atmospheric
pressure and that of a
gas in a vessel.
Gases
Standard Pressure
• Normal atmospheric pressure at sea
level. (STP)
• It is equal to
1.00 atm
760 torr (760 mm Hg)
101.325 kPa
Gases
Using a Manometer to Measure Gas Pressure
On a certain day the barometer in a
laboratory indicates that the
atmospheric pressure is 764.7 torr.
A sample of gas is placed in a flask
attached to an open-end mercury
manometer, shown in Figure 10.3. Figure 10.3 A mercury
manometer. This device
A meter stick is used to measure is sometimes employed
in the laboratory to
the height of the mercury above measure gas pressures
the bottom of the manometer. The near atmospheric
pressure.
level of mercury in the open-end
arm of the manometer has a height
of 136.4 mm, and the mercury in
the arm that is in contact with the
gas has a height of 103.8 mm.
What is the pressure of the gas (a) Gases
in atmospheres, (b) in kPa?
Solution:
(A)Pressure of gas in atmosphere
(B) Pressure of gas in kPa
Gases
Gases
Boyle’s Law
Gases
What is Boyle’s Law?
• Assumptions:
Constant temperature
Constant mass
• The law states that
pressure is inversely
proportional to the
volume
• The higher the pressure,
the smaller the volume
Gases
How can we write Boyle’s Law as a
formula?
• Pressure is inversely • This is more usually
proportional to the written as:
volume and can be
written as:
• Pressure α 1/volume • Pressure =
constant
P=pressure in N/m2 volume
V=volume in m3 • PV=k
k=constant • P1V1=P2V2
Gases
Boyle’s Law apparatus
Gases
Below are some results of an
experiment
Pressure p Volume V PxV
1.1 40 44
1.7 26
2.2 20
2.6 17
• Calculate pV (pressure x volume) for each set of
results. What do you notice?
Gases
What these experimental results show
• The pressure x volume for each set of
results remains constant
• This is called Boyle’s Law
• For a fixed mass of gas, at constant
temperature, pV = constant or
P 1 x V1 = P 2 x V 2
• Let us look at the results again
Gases
Here are the results of the experiment
Pressure p Volume V PxV
1.1 40 44
1.7 26 44
2.2 20 44
2.6 17 44
• Did you notice that if p is doubled, V is halved?
• If p increases to 3 times as much, V decreases to a 1/3rd .
This means:
• Volume is inversely proportional to pressure, or
V∝1
p
Gases
What sort of graphs would this
data give?
• If we plot volume directly against
pressure we would get a downwards
curve showing that volume gets smaller
as the pressure gets larger, and vice
versa.
Gases
Another way of plotting the
data
• Curved lines are hard to recognise, so
we plot the volume against the
reciprocal of pressure (ie. 1/p)
• This time the points lie close to a
straight line through the origin.
• This means volume is directly
proportional to 1/pressure or
• volume is inversely proportional to
pressure
Gases
This leads us back to Boyle’s
Law
Boyle’s Law: for a fixed mass
of gas kept at constant
temperature the volume of
the gas is inversely
proportional to its pressure.
Gases
Charles’ Law
• The volume of a fixed
amount of gas at
constant pressure is
directly proportional to its
absolute temperature.
• i.e.,
V =k
T
A plot of V versus T will be a straight line. Gases
How Volume Varies With Temperature
If we place a balloon in liquid nitrogen it
shrinks:
So, gases shrink if cooled. Gases
How Volume Varies With Temperature
Conversely,
if we heat a gas it expands
(as in a hot air balloon).
Gases
Temperature vs. Volume Graph
Absolute
zero
Gases
Check Your Understanding:
If the sun shining through windows
heats the air in a sealed room, what
happens to the air pressure in that room?
•A It decreases.
•B It will vary.
•C It increases.
•D It remains constant.
Gases
Check Your Understanding:
At constant pressure, how are the
temperature and volume of a gas related?
•A They are inversely proportional.
•B They are directly proportional.
•C They are constant.
•D They are indirectly proportional.
Gases
Check Your Understanding:
At constant pressure, when the
temperature of a gas is decreased, what
happens to its volume?
•A It decreases.
•B It will vary.
•C It increases.
•D It remains constant.
Gases
Avogadro’s Law
• The volume of a gas at constant temperature
and pressure is directly proportional to the
number of moles of the gas.
• Mathematically, this means V = kn
Gases
8.6 Volume and Moles,
Avogadro’s Law
The molar volume of a gas
at STP is about the same
as the volume of three
basketballs.
The volume of 1 mole of
gas is 22.4 liters.
Learning Goal Use Avogadro’s law to calculate the
amount or volume of a gas when the pressure and
temperature are constant.
Gases
Avogadro’s Law: Volume and
Moles
In Avogadro’s law,
•the volume of a gas is directly
related to the number of moles
(n) of gas.
•T and P are constant.
Gases
Calculations Using Avogadro’s
Law
If 0.75 mole of helium gas occupies a volume of 1.5 L, what
volume (L) will 1.2 moles of helium occupy at the same
temperature and pressure?
A. 0.94 L
B. 1.8 L
C. 2.4 L
Gases
Calculations Using Avogadro’s
Law
If 0.75 mole of helium gas occupies a volume of 1.5 L, what
volume (L) will 1.2 moles of helium occupy at the same
temperature and pressure?
STEP 1 Organize the data into a table of initial and
final conditions.
Pressure and temperature remain constant.
Gases
Calculations Using Avogadro’s
Law
STEP 2 Rearrange to solve for unknown quantity V2.
×
STEP 3 Substitute the values into the gas law equation
and calculate.
The answer is C.
Gases
Standard Temperature and
Pressure
The volumes of gases can be compared at STP,
Standard Temperature and Pressure, when they have
•the same temperature.
•a standard temperature (T) of 0 °C or 273 K.
•the same pressure.
•a standard pressure (P) of 1 atm (760 mmHg).
Gases
Molar Volume, STP
At standard temperature and pressure (STP), 1
mole of a gas occupies a volume of 22.4 L, which
is called its molar volume.
Use this equality as a conversion factor for gas
at STP:
22.4 L = 1 mole gas
Gases
Molar Volume
Avogadro’s law indicated that1 mole of
any gas at STP has a volume of 22.4 L. Gases
Ideal-Gas Equation
• So far we’ve seen that
V ∝ 1/P (Boyle’s law)
V ∝ T (Charles’s law)
V ∝ n (Avogadro’s law)
• Combining these, we get
nT
V
P
∝ Gases
Ideal-Gas Equation
The constant of
proportionality is
known as R, the
gas constant.
Gases
Ideal-Gas Equation
The relationship nT
V
P
∝
then becomes nT
V=R
P
or
PV = nRT Gases
Gay-Lussac’s Law
• Describes relationship between pressure &
temperature at constant volume & amount.
• P = kT or P/T = k
• What kind of relationship is this?
• Straight line with y-intercept of zero. It’s
direct.
Gases
Gay-Lussac: Verbal
• The pressure exerted by a confined gas
is directly related to the Kelvin
temperature at constant volume.
Gases
Gases
• When temperature decreases, the
pressure of a gas (decreases,
Decreases
increases, stays the same).
• When temperature increases, the
pressure of a gas (decreases,
Increases
increases, stays the same).
Gases
Gay-Lussac’s Law
P1 = P2
T1 T2
Gases
Combined Gas Law
• Putting it all together:
P 1V 1 = P 2V 2
T1 T2
For a fixed amount of gas.
Gases
