THE COMBINED GAS LAW

Boyle's law and Charles' law can be combined and treated as a single law which describes
the relationship among the pressure, volume and temperature of a constant amount of gas.
• The combined gas law show how pressure, volume, and temperature are related with one
another, but with one variable kept constant.
• It must be kept in mind that the gas laws follow a direct relationship only if the temperature
is in Kelvin, except for Boyle’s law where it is constant.
• The standard values of temperature and pressure are 273 K (0°C) and 1 atm, respectively.
1
Boyle's law: V∝𝑃
Charles’s law : V∝T
𝑇 𝑃𝑉
Combined Gas law : V ∝ 𝑃 or PV ∝ T or 𝑇 = constant
In mathematical equation, the combined gas law can be written as:
P1V1 = P2 V2
T1 T2
𝑷𝟏 𝑽𝟏 𝑷 𝑽
Based on the formula 𝑻 = 𝑻𝟐 𝟐 , you can derive six other formulas with different
𝟏 𝟐
unknown variables and it is as follows:
𝑃2 𝑉2 𝑇1
𝑉1 = 𝑃1 𝑉1 𝑇2
𝑃1 𝑇2 𝑉2 =
𝑃2 𝑇1
𝑃2 𝑉2 𝑇1
𝑃1 = 𝑃1 𝑉1 𝑇2
𝑉1 𝑇2 𝑃2 =
𝑉2 𝑇1
𝑃1 𝑉1𝑇2 𝑃2 𝑉2 𝑇1
𝑇1 = 𝑇2 =
𝑃2 𝑉2 𝑃1 𝑉1

Example 1.

Find the volume of a gas at STP when 2.00 liters is collected at 745.0 mm Hg and 25.0 degrees
Celsius.

To solve the problem, you first need to identify which formula to use. In this case, the
question asks about conditions at STP, so you know you're dealing with a "before and after"
problem. Next, you need to understand STP. If you haven't memorized this already (and you
probably should, since it appears a lot), STP refers to "standard temperature and pressure,"
which is 273 Kelvin and 760.0 mm Hg.

Because the law works using absolute temperature, you need to convert 25.0 degrees Celsius
to the Kelvin scale. This gives you 298 Kelvin.
At this point, you can plug the values into the formula and solve for the unknown. A common
mistake some people make when they're new to this kind of problem is confusing which
numbers go together. It's good practice to identify the variables. In this problem they are:

P1 = 745.0 mm Hg
V1 = 2.00 L
T1 = 298 K
P2 = 760.0 mm Hg
V2 = x (the unknown you're solving for)
T2 = 273 K

Next, take the formula and set it up to solve for the unknown "x," which in this problem is V2:

P1V1 / T1 = P2V2 / T2

Cross-multiply to clear the fractions:

P1V1T2 = P2V2T1

Divide to isolate V2:

V2 = (P1V1T2) / (P2T1)

Plug in the numbers and solve for V2:

V2 = (745.0 mm Hg · 2.00 L · 273 K) / (760 mm Hg · 298 K)

V2 = 1.796 L

Example 2.

A chemical reaction in a factory produced 15 000 L of a gas at 75 °C and 760 mm Hg. As

the gas continue to rise up to the atmosphere to a height where the pressure is only 642 mm Hg
and the temperature is 12 °C, will its volume increase or decrease?
Solution:
V2 = P1V1T2
T1P2
= (760 mm Hg) X (15 000 L) X (393.0 K)
(642 mm Hg) X (348.0 K)
= 20.053 ml

Sample Problem 3
A quantity of gas exerts a pressure of 2.4 atm when its volume is 4.0 L at 40 °C. Calculate
the pressure exerted by the same gas if the temperature is raised to 50°C and the volume is
reduced to 1.5 L.
Solution:
P2 = P1V1T2
T1V2
= (2.4 atm) X (4.0 L) X (323.0 K)
(1.5 atm) X (313.0 K)
= 6.6 atm

AVOGADRO’S LAW

A flat tire is not very useful. It does not cushion the rim
of the wheel and creates a very uncomfortable ride. When
air is added to the tire, the pressure increases as more
molecules of gas are forced into the rigid tire. How much
air should be put into a tire depends on the pressure rating
for that tire. Too little pressure and the tire will not hold its
shape. Too much pressure and the tire could burst. This can
be explained by Avogadro’s law.

Source:https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A
%2F%2Fs3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com Avogadro's Law states that the
volume of a gas is directly
proportional to the number of moles (or number of particles) of gas when the temperature and
pressure are held constant. The mathematical expression of Avogadro's Law is: V1n2=V2n1

where n is the number of moles of gas and k is a constant. Avogadro's Law is in evidence
whenever you blow up a balloon. The volume of the balloon increases as you add moles of gas
to the balloon by blowing it up.

If the container holding the gas is rigid rather than flexible, pressure can be substituted
for volume in Avogadro's Law. Adding gas to a rigid container makes the pressure increase.

Example 1:
A balloon has been filled to a volume of 1.90 L with 0.0920 mol of helium gas. If 0.0210
mol of additional helium is added to the balloon while the temperature and pressure are held
constant, what is the new volume of the balloon?
Step 1: List the known quantities and plan the problem.
Known
• V1=1.90 L
• n1=0.0920 mol
• n2=0.0920+0.0210=0.1130 mol
Unknown
• V2=? L
 Note that the final number of moles has to be calculated by adding the original number of
moles to the moles of added helium. Use Avogadro’s law to solve for the final volume.
Step 2: Solve.
First, rearrange the equation algebraically to solve for V2.

V2=V1n2
n1
Now substitute the known quantities into the equation and solve.
V2=1.90 L×0.1130 mol
0.0920 mol
=2.33 L

IDEAL GAS LAW

What does an airbag do?

Airbags are inflatable cushions built into a vehicle
that protect occupants from hitting the vehicle interior
or objects outside the vehicle (for example, other
vehicles or trees) during a collision.
Why airbags are also dangerous? During a serious
Source: How Does an Air Bag Work? crash, the airbag must inflate quickly and with great
| Via (aaa.com) force. As the bag deploys, your chest is exposed. The
force of the airbag can damage soft tissue or break
bones in the chest area. Neck and Back Injuries: Although airbags save lives, they
can cause serious neck and back injuries.

Always drive safely. Avoid drinking alcohol when you drive!

Don’t forget to check your break too!

The ideal gas law is an equation of state the describes the behavior of an ideal gas and also a
real gas under conditions of ordinary temperature and low pressure. This is one of the most
useful gas laws to know because it can be used to find pressure, volume, number of moles, or
temperature of a gas.

The formula for the ideal gas law is:

PV = nRT
P = pressure
V = volume
n = number of moles of gas
R = ideal or universal gas constant = 0.0821 L atm / mol K
T = absolute temperature in Kelvin

Example 1.

6.2 liters of an ideal gas is contained at 3.0 atm and 37 °C. How many moles of this gas are
present?

Solution

The ideal gas law states

PV = nRT

Because the units of the gas constant are given using atmospheres, moles, and Kelvin, it's
important to make sure you convert values given in other temperature or pressure scales. For
this problem, convert °C temperature to K using the equation:

T = °C + 273

T = 37 °C + 273
T = 310 K

Now, you can plug in the values. Solve ideal gas law for the number of moles

n = PV / RT

n = ( 3.0 atm x 6.2 L ) / ( 0.0821 L atm /mol K x 310 K)

n = 0.73 mol

Example 2.

A cylinder of argon gas contains 50.0 L of Ar at 18.4 atm and 127 °C. How many moles of
argon is in the cylinder?

Solution

The first step of any Ideal Gas Law problem is to convert temperatures to the absolute
temperature scale, Kelvin. At relatively low temperatures, the 273 degree difference makes a
very large difference in calculations.
To change °C to K, use the formula

T = °C + 273

T = 127 °C + 273
T = 400 K

The second step is to choose the ideal gas constant value of R suitable for our units. Our
example has liters and atm. Therefore, we should use

R = 0.0821 liter·atm/mol·K

Our example wants us to find the number of moles of gas.

PV = nRT

solve for n

plug in our values

n = 28.0 mol

Practice Exercises:

Combined gas law:

1. A 30.0 mL bubble is released from a diver’s air tank at a pressure of 4.5 atm and a
temperature of 15 °C. What is the volume of the bubble when it reaches the ocean surface,
where the pressure is 1.0 atm and the temperature is 20 °C?
Ideal Gas law:
2. What pressure will be exerted by 0.400 mol of a gas in a 5.00 L container at 17.0 °C?
Avogadro’s law
3. An 85 flexible container holds 3.4 moles of gas. How many moles of gas should be
removed to decrease the volume of the container to 40L?

Answers:
1. Solution:
Change temperature into Kelvin
T1 = 15 °C + 273 = 288 K
T2 = 20 °C + 273 = 293 K
By derivation, we get the formula…
V2 = P1V1T2
T1P2
= (4.5 atm) X (30.0 mL) X (293.0 K)
(288 K) X (1.0 atm)
= 137.34 ml
2. Given:
n= 0.400 mol
V= 5.00 L
T= 17.0 °C + 273 = 290 K

P=nRT/V
= (0.400 mol) X (0.0821 L.atm/mol.K) X (290K)
500L
= 1.90 atm

3. Given:
V2= 40L
N1=3.4 moles
V1= 85 L
N2= unknown
Solution:
n2 = V2n1/V1
= 40L X 3.4 moles/ 85 L
= 1.6 moles