Gas Pressure and Volume
What is Pressure?
In studying the behaviour of gases we consider only “closed systems” (not open to
atmosphere) like gas cylinders or balloons.
Gases exert pressure on all objects that they encounter. Pressure is the force exerted on an
object per unit of surface area.
P = f/A P = pressure
f = force
A = surface area
The SI units for pressure is: pascals (Pa) or kilopasals (KPa)
In a container a gas exerts pressure because the molecules colliding with the walls of the
container are collectively pushing out. The number of collisions (KE) determines the overall
pressure.
Example: A balloon
There are a number of factors that can affect the number of collisions within a closed
system. We will be looking at a few of these factors.
Pressure Measurements
Atmospheric pressure reflects the height of the column of air above us extending to the
outermost layer of the atmosphere:
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
Pressure can be measured in:
i) mm Hg
Represents the displacement of mercury.
Example: pressure of the atmosphere at sea level and 0 oC (standard atmospheric
pressure) is 760 mm Hg.
ii) torr
Represents a column of mercury 1 mm in height at 0 oC
Example: standard atmospheric pressure at 0 oC is 760 torr
iii) pascals (kilopascals)
Represents the force of 1 newton per metre squared. (1 N/m 2).
Example: standard atmospheric pressure at 0 oC is equivalent to 101.3 kPa.
iv) atmospheres (atm)
Represents the air pressure at sea level.
Example: standard atmospheric pressure at 0 oC is 1 atm (760 torr)
All of the above units are equivalent, therefore:
Convert the following:
a) 3.22 atm to kPa
b) 945 mm Hg to kPa
c) 560 torr to atm
d) 112.3 kPa to torr
The problem with measuring a gas is that a gas has no fixed volume. Therefore you must
consider the conditions in which the gas exists in a closed container. These conditions
include:
i) Pressure
Determines how much gas is squeezed into a particular volume
Example: A gas cylinder
ii) Temperature
Affects the motion (KE) of the molecules.
Example: A cold tire vs a warm/hot tire
To calculate a quantity of gas the volume at known temperature and pressure must be
specified.
Pressure Volume Relationships
Boyle investigated the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas using mercury in a
glass tube.
Boyle discovered an inverse relationship between pressure and volume when temperature and
number of moles of the gas were kept constant. This has become known as Boyle’s Law.
Boyle’s Law states that:
“The volume of a fixed mass of gas at constant” temperature varies inversely as the
applied pressure.
Mathematically, this can be written as:
The equation can be re-written so that the proportionality sign in replaced by a constant:
For changes in P and V the equation can be written as:
Example Questions:
What is the volume of 4.8 L of hydrogen gas if the pressure on it increases from 55 kPa to
127 kPa (T is constant)?
A 16.0 L fire extinguisher contains 15.0 L of water and 1.00 L of compressed air. When in
use, the extinguisher must expel the last bit of water at a pressure of 110 kPa. What should
the original compressed air pressure in the extinguisher be (T is constant)?
Volume and Temperature Relationships
Charles investigated the relationship between temperature and volume of a gas.
Charles discovered a direct relationship between temperature and volume when pressure and
number of moles of the gas were kept constant.
Charle’s Law states, that:
“the volume of a fixed quantity of gas at constant pressure is directly proportional to
the temperature (in Kelvin)”
For changes in V and T the equation can be written as:
As previously mentioned, when using Charle’s Law, temperature is reported in Kelvin. The
starting point for the Kelvin scale is 0 K, which is called absolute zero. The accepted value
for 0 K is –273.15 C.
In theory, at this temperature kinetic energy would be zero and the volume of the gas would
also be zero.
To calculate temperature in Kelvin when given degree Celsius using the following equation:
TK = C + 273
Example Questions:
If 50.0 cm3 of gas in a syringe at 15.0 °C and the syringe’s position is allowed to move
outward against constant atmospheric pressure, calculate the new volume of the hot gas at
85.0 C.
Determine the final volume of 20.0 L of a gas whose temperature changes from -73.0 °C to
327 °C if the pressure remains constant.
Pressure and Temperature Relationships
Gay-Lussac discovered that the pressure (P) exerted by a gas is directly proportional to its
temperature.
Gay-Lussac’s Law states that:
“the pressure of a fixed amount of gas, at constant volume is directly proportional to its
Kelvin temperature”.
For changes in P and T the equation can be written as:
Example Question:
A cylinder of chlorine gas is designed to withstand 50 atm of pressure. The pressure gauge
reads 35.0 atm at 23°C. A fire causes the temperature in the storage room to increase to
85.5 °C. What will the pressure gauge read at this temperature?
Combined Gas Law
When we examine all of the gas laws that we have learned so far, you will notice that some of
the variables appear in multiple equations:
Gas Law Variables Constant Equation
Boyles Law
Charles Law
Gay Lussac’s Law
We can combine all of the three laws to obtain the Combined Gas Law:
Before we look at some example problems using the Combined Gas Law, it is important we
know a few of the standard conditions used when dealing with gases. A convenient way to
express standard measurements conditions is to refer to STP or SATP conditions.
i) STP (standard temperature and pressure)
T = O C or 273 K
P = 760 mmHg, 760 torr, 1 atm or 101.3 kPa
ii) SATP (standard ambient temperature and pressure)
T = 25 oC or 298 K
P = 100 kPa
Example Question:
3
A weather balloon contains 2.50 m of helium gas at 15.0 C and 98.0 kPa. What is the volume
at STP?
Molar Volume of Gases
Gay-Lussac measured the volumes of gases before and after a reaction. The research led him
to devise the law of combining volumes:
“When gases react, the volumes of the reactants and products, measured at equal
temperatures and pressures, are always in whole number ratios”.
Example 1: hydrogen gas + oxygen gas water vapour
2 H2(g) + O2(g) 2H2O(g)
100 ml + 50 ml 100 ml
Example 2: ammonia gas hydrogen gas + nitrogen gas
2NH3(g) 3 H2(g) + N2(g)
8 ml 12 ml + 4 ml
John Dalton examined the masses of compounds before and after a reaction, which led him to
propose the law of multiple proportions:
“The masses of the elements that combine can be expressed in small whole number ratios”.
By combining these ideas, Amedeo Avogadro related the volume of a gas to the amount that
is present (calculated from the mass). Avogadro hypothesized that:
“Equal volumes of all ideal gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same
number of molecules”.
Example 3: hydrogen gas + oxygen gas water vapour
2 H2(g) + O2(g) 2 H2O(g)
2 mol + 1 mol 2 mol
2 volumes + 1 volume 2 volumes
n = number of moles
n1 n2 V = Volume of gas
V1 V2
Example 4: At STP, 1 mol of oxygen gas has a volume of 22.4 L. Determine the mass and
number of molecules in a 44. 8 L sample of the gas.
The molar volume of a gas is the space that is occupied by one mole of the gas. Molar volume
is measured in units of L/mol, and is determined by dividing the volume by the number of
moles that are present.
= molar volume (L/mol)
V
V = Volume of gas (L)
n
n = number of moles of gas (mol)
The molar volume of one gas is roughly the same as the molar volume of another gas at the
same temperature and pressure. The molar volume of an ideal gas at STP is 22.4 L/mol.
Example 5: An empty, sealed container has a volume of 0.652L and a mass of 2.50 g. When
filled with nitrogen gas, the container has a mass of 3.23 g. The pressure of the
nitrogen in the container is 97.5 kPa when the temperature is 21.0 oC. Calculate the
molar volume of nitrogen gas at STP.
The Ideal Gas Law and Stoichiometry
The Ideal Gas Law states that the pressure multiplied by the volume is equal to the number of moles
multiplied by the universal gas constant and the temperature.
PV = nRT R = 8.314 kPa•L
mol•K
Guidelines for using the Ideal Gas Law:
i) Convert temperature to Kelvin (K)
ii) Convert masses to moles (n)
iii) Convert volume to Litres (L)
iv) Convert pressure to kilopascals (kPa)
Sample Problems
1. 2.00 L of nitrogen dioxide gas in a container holds 4.2 mol at 206 kPa. What is the temperature in the
cylinder?
2. Calculate the volume that 6.30 mol of carbon dioxide gas at 23 oC and 550 kPa pressure occupy.
3. 1.5 L of propane gas is burned in a barbeques. The following equation shows the reaction. Assume all gases
are at STP:
___ C3H8 (g) + ___ O2 (g) ___ CO2 (g) + H2O (g)
What volume of carbon dioxide is produced?
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure
Consider a container that contains three types of gases:
N2, O2, CO2
The molecules of each gas collide with the container walls and with the sensor
on the pressure guage.
Each gas exerts a pressure called its partial pressure.
The total pressure is therefore the sum of all the partial pressures of the
gases present.
As an equation, this can be written as:
Ptotal = PN2 + PO2 + PCO2
Example:
A closed container contains a mixture of O2 and CO2. If the pressure is
2.68 atm and the temperature is 273 K, calculate the partial pressure of
O2 if the mixture is 30% CO2. Convert your answer to kPa.
Gas Applications
Finding the Density of a Gas
Oxygen gas makes up about 20% of our atmosphere. Find the density of pure oxygen gas in
g/L at 12.50 C and 126.63 kPa.
Using Molar Mass to Identify an Unknown Gas
A 1.56 L gas sample has a mass of 3.22 g at 100 kPa and 281 K. What is the molar mass of the
gas?
