GASES

BEHAVIOUR, LAWS, AND KINETIC

MOLECULAR THEORY
 Properties of Gases
Particles are traveling in straight-line paths
and are randomly distributed
No definite shape or volume
Relatively large distances between the
particles
Low densities
Can be compressed
Can be liquefied at low temperatures and high
pressures
 Units that Apply
Pressure
Standard pressure
101.3 kPa, 760 Torr, 1 atm
Temperature
Standard temperature
0°C or 273K
Densities
Normally in g/L
Volume
Liters or milliliters
Boyle’s Law
Boyle’s Law
This law examines
the relationship
between volume and
pressure
The volume occupied
by a gas is inversely
proportional to the
pressure exerted on
the gas.
 P α 1/V
P1.V1 = P2.V2
 Sample Problem
What volume will 500. mL of a gas
occupy if the pressure is changed
from 101.3 kPa to 502.4 kPa?
Always identify the variables -
P1, P2, V1, and V2.
Use the relationship (P1V1 = P2V2)
- note temperature is constant.
 Solution
You definitely know that the volume
should decrease because pressure is
increasing
P1V1 = P2V2
(101.3 kPa)(500 mL) = (502.4 kPa)(V2)

V2 = 500. mL(101.3 kPa/502.4 kPa)

V2 = 100.8 mL
 Sample Problems
Example P1 P2 V V2

1 2 atm 4 atm 4L ?L

2 ?atm 3 atm 5L 8L

3 101.3 kPa 400 kPa 500 mL ?mL

4 200 kPa 600 kPa 4L ?L

5 100 kPa 0.05 kPa 2L ?L

*temperature is constant
Charles’s Law
Charles’s Law
This law examines
the relationship
between Volume and
Temperature
The volume occupied
by a gas is directly
proportional to the
Kelvin temperature
V α T [T in K]
V1 V2
=
T1 T2
V1.T2 = V2.T1
 Sample Problem
What volume will 500. mL of a gas occupy if
the temperature is changed from 0°C to 50°C
?
Make sure that you convert °C - K
Always identify the variables - T1, T2, V1,
and V2.

Use the relationship on (V1/T1 = V2/T2) -

note pressure is constant.
 Solution
You definitely know that the volume
should increase because temperature is
increasing
V1/T1 = V2/T2
0.00°C = 273 K and 50.0°C = 323 K
V2 = 500. mL(323 K/273 K)

V2 = 592 mL
 Sample Problems

Example V1 V2 T1 T2

1 400 mL ?mL 25°C 50°C

2 4L 10 L ?K 819K

3 8L 10 L 273K ?K

4 ?L 20 L 819K 273K

5 10 L 3L 10°C ?K

*Pressure is constant
Gay-Lussac’s Law
Gay-Lussac’s Law
This law states that the pressure of a
gas is directly proportional to the
Kelvin temperature.
As the pressure goes up, the
temperature also goes up, and vice-
versa.
 P1 P2
=
T1 T2
P1.T2 = P2.T1
Avogadro’s Law
 Avogadro’s Hypothesis
Equal volumes of gases under the same
conditions of temperature and pressure
will contain equal number of particles

Same Volume
1.0 L 1.0 L

Same Temperature & Pressure

EQUAL NUMBER OF PARTICLES

 Avogadro (cont.)
Note: In the example given there are the same #
of particles, there are not the same # of atoms
Same Volume
1.0 L 1.0 L

Same Temperature & Pressure

EQUAL NUMBER OF PARTICLES

He HCl
❖For a gas at constant temperature and
pressure, the volume is directly
proportional to the number of moles of
gas (at low pressures).
 V = a.n
a = proportionality constant
V = volume of the gas
n = number of moles of gas
Combined Gas Law
Boyle’s + Charles’s
+ Avogadro’s
 The combined gas law simply deals
with both change in pressure and
change in temperature.
P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2

In this problem, as we have with

Charles’s and Boyle’s Laws, the
number of mols of gas remains
constant.
 Sample Problem
20. L of H2 gas is at a pressure of 101.3
kPa and 20°C. What volume will this gas
occupy at a pressure of 20.6 kPa and a
temperature of 0°C?

Start by identifying your variables in the

problem: P1, V1, T1, P2, T2 - solve for V2

# mols of gas is constant

 Solution
What are the known values:
V1 = 20 L
T1 = 20°C = 293 K
T2 = 0°C = 273 K
P1 = 101.3 kPa
P2 = 20.6 kPa
V2 = ??
 Solution (cont.)
V2 = V1(T2/T1)(P1/P2)

Notice -
Since the temperature is decreasing it will decrease the
value for V1 (direct relationship)
Since the pressure is decreasing it will increase the value
for V1 (inverse relationship)

V2 = 20. L(273 K/293 K)(101.3 kPa/20.6 kPa)

V2 = 92 L (to the correct # of significant figures)

 Sample Problems

Trial V1 P1 T1 V2 P2 T2

1 10 L 2 atm 373 K ?L 4 atm 456 K

2 5L ?atm 200 K 10 L 2 atm 400 K

3 2L 4 atm 20°C ?L 0.5 atm 373 K

**mols of gas constant

Ideal Gas Law
Boyle’s + Charles’s +
Avogadro's + Gay-
Lussac’s
 Ideal Gas Law
The ideal gas law also takes into account the number of
mols of gas -
PV = nRT
P = pressure (atmospheres)
V = volume (Liters)
n = # mols of gas
T = temperature (K)
R = Universal Gas Law constant (.082 L•atm/mol•K)
 Ideal Gas Law (cont.)
If you were to solve for V at STP and one
mol of gas you should get what we call
“molar volume of a gas”
V = nRT/P
V = (1 mol)(.082 l•atm/mol•K)(273 K)/(1
atm)
V = 22.4 L
 Dalton’s Law of
Partial Pressures
 If you have a mixture of non-reacting gases each
gas will exert a partial pressure depending on the
amount (mol fraction) of that gas present.
The total pressure of the gas mixture will be the
sum of the partial pressures of each of the gases
in the mixture.
Pt = P1 + P2 + P3 …….

The mol fraction is simply the #mols of a gas

divided by the total # of mols of gas in the mixture.
 Partial Pressures
Let’s say I have a mixture of N2, O2, and H2O gas exerting a
total pressure of 6 atmospheres in a closed container.

6 atm

each molecule represents a

mol of that gas

The total number of mols of gas would be 10 and the total

pressure is 6 atm.
 Partial Pressures

The mol fraction of each gas is as follows :

N2 = 3/10 6 atm

O2 = 4/10 each molecule

represents a mol of
that gas

H2O = 3/10

So the partial pressure of each gas would

be:
N2 = 3/10(6 atm) = 1.8 atm
O2 = 4/10(6 atm) = 2.4 atm
H2O = 3/10(6 atm) = 1.8 atm
 Molar Volume
Experimentally it can be determined
that one mol of any gas, at STP, will
occupy a volume of 22.4 L
STP = standard temperature &
pressure = 0°C(273 K) and
1atm(101.3 kPa)
 One Mol of Each Gas
All at STP

22.4 L

H2 O2 CO2 SO2
 Graham’s Law of Diffusion
Diffusion - the movement of particles
from a region of high concentration to
a region of low concentration
Effusion - the movement of particles
from a region of high concentration to
a region of low concentration through
a small orifice (small opening)
 Graham’s Law (cont.)
In very simple terms, the law suggests that lighter
particles (atoms or molecules) move faster than
heavier particles.

NH3 HCl
Graham’s Law (cont.)
K.M.T
 Kinetic Molecular Theory
1. The volume of a gas molecule is negligible compared
to the volume it can occupy as a result of its motion

2. Gas molecules are in constant, rapid, random

straight-line motion

3. Collisions between gas molecules are perfectly

elastic (T α KE) so there is no net loss of energy

4. There are no attractive forces between the gas

molecules
 Gases & Solubility
Henry’s Law describes how pressure changes the solubility
of a gas
✓ as the partial pressure of the gas above a liquid
increases, its solubility increases.

Pressure
increasing

Solubility
increasing
 Gases & Solubility
As temperature increases the solubility of a gas
will decrease
✓ when gases normally go into solution it is an
exothermic process and for that reason when
the temperature of solutions of gases in liquids
increases the solubility decreases
✓ Like your soda going flat when you leave it out
on a warm day - the increased temperature
causes the CO2 to come out of solution
 Ideal vs Real
We assume that the volume of a gas molecule is
negligible and there are no attractive forces
between gas molecules under “normal” conditions.
In reality, gas molecules do have a measureable
volume and there are weak attractive forces
(either dipole-dipole or van derWaals forces or
possibly both). So, under “normal” conditions,
both the attractive forces and the molecule
volume are considered negligible.
 Under conditions of – high pressure and
low temperature gas behavior varies from
the gas laws.
1.High pressure – molecules are pushed
close together and the attractive forces,
although weak, pull the molecules together.
2. Low temperature – molecules move more
slowly (lower KE) and the weak attractive
forces become more important as molecules
come close to each other.
 Ideal vs Real
So, gases behave most ideally at high temperatures
(molecules are moving too fast for the weak attractive
forces to have an effect) and low pressures/large
volumes (molecules are so far apart that the
attractive forces and molecule volume are
insignificant).

There are only two gases that behave close to ideally

under all conditions and they are – H2 and He. They
both have very small molecule volumes and extremely
weak van der Waals forces.

H2 He
 Ideal vs Real
Critical temperature – above this temperature the
substance cannot exist as a liquid.

Critical pressure – at the critical temperature, the

pressure that must be applied to cause that gas to
condense

H2 He

-240°C -268°C

Critical Temperatures (°C)