Gas Laws Handout 3

Charles Law

Charles Law: TEMPERATURE-VOLUME RELATIONSHIP

“At constant pressure, the volume of a gas sample expands when heated and contracts when
cooled.”
“The volume of a fixed amount of gas maintained at constant pressure is directly proportional to
the absolute temperature of the gas.” – Jacques Charles

In 1848, Lord Kelvin realized the significance of this phenomenon. He identified -273.15˚C as
absolute zero, theoretically, the lowest attainable temperature. Then he set up an absolute
temperature scale now called the Kelvin temperature scale. (In our calculations, we are going to
use 273 instead of 273.15; T to denote absolute (kelvin) temperature and t to indicate temperature
on Celsius.
𝑉
𝑉 ∝ 𝑇  𝑉 = 𝑘2 𝑇  𝑇 = 𝑘2
𝑉1 𝑉2
= 𝑘2 =
𝑇1 𝑇2
𝑉1 𝑉2
=
𝑇1 𝑇2

Practice 1: A balloon inflated in a room at 24˚C has a volume of 4.00L. The balloon is then
heated to a temperature of 58˚C. What is the new volume if the pressure remains constant?

Practice 2: A 452 mL sample of fluorine gas is heated from 22˚C to 187˚C at constant pressure.
What is its final volume?
Answer: 705 mL

Practice 3: A sample of carbon monoxide gas occupies 3.20 L at 125˚. Calculate the temperature
at which the gas will occupy 1.54 L if the pressure remains constant.
 Gas Laws Handout 4
Gay-Lussac’s Law

As the temperature of an enclosed gas increases, the pressure increases at constant volume.

𝑃1 𝑃2
= 𝑘2 =
𝑇1 𝑇2
𝑃1 𝑃2
=
𝑇1 𝑇2

Example 1: The gas in a used aerosol can is at a pressure of 103 kPa at 25˚C. If the can is thrown
onto a fire, what will the pressure be when the temperature reaches 928˚C

Example 2: A gas container is initially at 47 mm Hg and 77 K (liquid nitrogen temperature.)

What will the pressure be when the container warms up to room temperature of 25 ˚C?

NOTE THAT FOR GAS LAWS:

Standard temperature and pressure (STP) for gas laws is 273K (0°C) and 1atm pressure (760
mmHg). If a gas law problem mentions STP, that means the conditions are T=273K and P=1atm
 Gas Laws Handout 5
Avogadro’s Law

Avogadro’s Law: THE VOLUME-AMOUNT RELATIONSHIP

“At the constant temperature and pressure, the volume of a gas is directly proportional to the
number of moles of the gas present.”

Consider the reaction: 3 H2(g) + N2(g)  2 NH3(g)

3 mol 1 mol 2 mol

+ 
3 H2(g) N2(g) 2 NH3(g)
3 molecules 1 molecule 2 molecules
3 moles 1 mole 2 moles
3 volumes 1 volume 2 volumes

 If the amount of gas in a container is increased, the volume increases.

 If the amount of gas in a container is decreased, the volume decreases.

𝑽𝟏 𝑽𝟐
= 𝒐𝒓 𝑽𝟏 𝒏𝟐 = 𝑽𝟐 𝒏𝟏
𝒏𝟏 𝒏𝟐

Example 1: 5.00 L of a gas is known to contain 0.965 mol. If the amount of gas is increased to
1.80 mol, what new volume will result (at an unchanged temperature and pressure)?

Example 2: A cylinder with a movable piston contains 2.00 g of helium, He, at room
temperature. More helium was added to the cylinder and the volume was adjusted so that the
gas pressure remained the same. How many grams of helium were added to the cylinder if the
volume was changed from 2.00 L to 2.70 L? (The temperature was held constant.)