SKU3073 Chemistry

Semester 1 2020/2021

EXPERIMENT 6

CHARLES’S LAW

6.1 OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this experiment, students should be able to:

1. measure the volume of a fixed quantity of gas at constant pressure and varying
temperature

2. verify Charles’s Law

6.2 INTRODUCTION

In 1787, a scientist Jacques Charles has observed that the volume of a fixed quantity gas
changes when temperature changes at constant pressure. When the volume increases, the
temperature will also increase, and vice versa. Although the theory first described by Charles, it
was only expressed in the mathematically equation by Joseph Gay-Lussac on 1802. Charles’s
Law states that the volume of a fixed mass of ideal gas is directly proportional to the temperature
(K), at constant pressure. This relationship can be written as follows:

𝑽
𝑽 =𝒌 ×𝑻 𝒐𝒓 =𝒌 (1)
𝑻

where V is the volume of the gas, T is the temperature, and k is a constant that depends on the
pressure and amount of gas. If a sample of gas at a fixed pressure has its temperature doubled,
the volume, in turn, is doubled and vice versa. For a given pressure and quantity of gas, T and
V can be written as follows:

𝑽𝟏 𝑽𝟐 𝑽𝟏 𝑻𝟏
𝑻𝟏
= 𝑻𝟐
𝒐𝒓 𝑽𝟏 𝑻𝟏 = 𝑽𝟐 𝑻𝟐 𝒐𝒓 𝑽𝟐 𝑻𝟐
=𝟏 (2)

where at constant pressure, V1 and T1 refer to the initial volume and temperature and V2 and T2
refer to the final volume and temperature of the experiment.

Charles’s Law can be illustrated by a hot-air balloon. The pressure of the air inside the hot-air
balloon is constant. As the air inside the balloon is heated (T↑), the volume of the air increases
(expands; V↑). Once the balloon gets full of hot air it will become less dense and begin to rise.
In this experiment, the volume of air will be determined when measured at two different
temperatures at constant pressure.

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 SKU3073 Chemistry
Semester 1 2020/2021

Chemicals

Distilled water

Apparatus

Boiling chips

Glass tubing (6 to 8 cm length; 7-mm OD)

Retort stand

Hotplate

2 Beaker (800 mL)

Marking pencil

One-hole rubber stopper (size no. 6)

2 Erlenmeyer flask (250 mL)

Rubber tubing (2 ft. length)

Thermometer

Graduated cylinder

6.3 PROCEDURE

1. Fit a clean and dry 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask (Flask no. 1) with a no. 6 one hole rubber
stopper. Insert 5 cm-8 cm of the glass tubing through the rubber stopper hole (Figure
6.1).

Figure 6.1: Example set up Charles’s Law experiment

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 SKU3073 Chemistry
Semester 1 2020/2021

2. Use pencil to mark the position of the bottom of the rubber stopper on Flask no. 1. Then,
connect rubber tubing to the glass tubing.

3. Add 600 mL of water and three boiling chips in 800 mL beaker. Then, keep the water at
a gentle boil on a hot plate. Record the temperature of the boiling water.

4. Prepare a half-filled ice water bath using another 800 mL beaker and record the
temperature. Set aside the ice water bath that will be used in step no. 8.

5. Add 200 mL of water into a second 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask (Flask no. 2) and place the
end of the rubber tubing into the water. Ensure that the end of the rubber tubing reaches
the bottom of the flask and remain submerged at all times.

6. Lower the flask no. 1 as far as it will submerge into the boiling water. Secure onto the ring
stand (Figure 6.1). Adjust the water level in the beaker to cover as much of the
Erlenmeyer flask as possible.

7. Boil gently for 5 min. Air bubbles should emerge from the rubber tubing submerged in
Flask no. 2. Add water to the beaker if boiling causes the water level to go down.

8. When bubbles no longer emerge from the end of the submerged tubing (after 5 min.),
carefully lift Flask no. 1 from the boiling water bath and quickly place it into the ice water
bath. Record what you observe happening as Flask no. 1 cooling down. (Be sure to keep
the end of the rubber tubing always submerged in the water in Flask no. 2)

9. When no more water is drawn into Flask no. 1, raise the flask until the level of water
inside the flask is at the same height as the water in the ice-water bath. Then remove the
stopper from the Flask no. 1.

10. Measure the water volume to the nearest 0.1 mL in Flask no. 1 by using graduated
cylinder.

11. Determine the volume of Erlenmeyer Flask no. 1 as follows:

a. First, fill it with water to the level marked by the pencil. Insert the stopper with the
glass tubing into the flask to be sure the bottom of the stopper touches the water with
no air space present. Adjust the water level if necessary.

b. Remove the stopper and measure the volume of the water in the flask by pouring it
into a graduated cylinder.

c. The total volume of water should be measured to the nearest 0.1 mL. Record this
value.

12. Do the calculations to verify Charles’s Law.

13. Plot a graph (volume versus temperature) and extrapolate the graph to zero volume.

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 SKU3073 Chemistry
Semester 1 2020/2021

6.4 QUESTIONS

1. What is the temperature (in Celsius) obtained when the extrapolated graph cross at
temperature-axis? Compare with the theory result.

2. Using Charles Law and the amount of gas volume at 100°C from your experiment,
determine the volume theory at the water temperature in sink.

3. Illustrate a graph for volume theory of water in sink in the same graph paper. Where did
graph cross the temperature axis? Explain your data.

6.5 REFERENCES

1. Charles's Law Definition in Chemistry. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-charless-law-604901

2. Silberberg, M. 2013. Principles of General Chemistry. 3rd Edition. McGrraw-Hill

Education. New York:USA

3. Chang, R. and Goldsby, K. A. 2013. Chemistry. 11th Edition. McGrraw-Hill Education.

New York:USA

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 SKU3073 Chemistry
Semester 1 2020/2021

6.6 WORKSHEET

Table 6.1: Charles’s Law data

1. Temperature, boiling water (T2) (C and K)

2. Temperature, ice water (T1) (C and K)

3. Observation as Flask no. 1 cools

(Procedure No. 8)

4. The volume of water sucked into Flask no.

1 (Vw) (mL) (Procedure No. 10)

5. The volume of air at the temperature of

boiling water (V2) (mL) (Procedure No. 11)

6. The volume of the air at the temperature of

ice water (V1) (mL)

V1 = V2 - Vw

7. Verify Charles’s Law from experiment

𝑽𝟐 × 𝑻𝟏
=
𝑽𝟏 × 𝑻𝟐

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DATE LECTURER’S SIGNATURE/STAMP