Kinetic Molecular

Theory of Gases
SAMBAAN, JUVANISSI P.
11 STEM-NEWTON
 Gases
Gases are one of the most pervasive aspects of our
environment on the Earth. We continually exist with
constant exposure to gases of all forms.
The steam formed in the air during a hot shower is a gas.
The Helium used to fill a birthday balloon is a gas.
The oxygen in the air is an essential gas for life.
PROPERTIES OF
GASES
1) Expansion (Expands)
No definite shape or
volume
2) Fluidity (Fluid)
Gas particles glide easily
past one another
3) Low Density
The density of a substance in the
gaseous state is about 1/1000 the
density of the same substance in
the liquid or solid
state
4) Compressibility (Highly Compressible)
During compression of a gas, gas particles are
crowded close together
With sufficient compression, the volume of a gas
can be decreased thousands of times
5) Diffusion/Effusion
Diffusion = spontaneous mixing of the particles of two
substances without being stirred

Rate of diffusion depends on:

- Speed of gas particles
(Higher speed = Faster diffusion)
- Diameter of gas particles (Smaller = Faster Diffusion)
- Attraction Force between gas particles (Small attraction =
Faster diffusion)
Effusion = gas particles under pressure pass through
a very small opening from one container to another

Rates of effusion is directly proportional to velocity of

particles
(Faster particles = faster effusion)
Kinetic Molecular Theory
Kinetic Molecular Theory (KMT) explains WHY gases
have these properties.
KMT is a model to explain the behavior of gaseous
particles and is based on extensive observations of the
behavior of gases.
If a gas follows all the postulates of the KMT it is said
to be an ideal gas.
 Ludwig Boltzmann and Clerk Maxwell, found that the
physical properties of gases can be explained in terms of
the motion of individual molecules.
The findings of Maxwell, Boltzmann, and others resulted
in a number of generalizations about gas behavior that have
since been known as the kinetic molecular theory of gases,
or simply the kinetic theory of gases. Central to the kinetic
theory are these assumptions:
1.) A gas is composed of molecules that
are separated from each other by
distances far greater than their own
dimensions. The molecules can be
considered to be “points”; that is, they
possess mass but have negligible volume.
2.) Gas molecules are in constant motion in random
directions, and they frequently collide with one
another. Collisions among molecules are perfectly
elastic. In other words, energy can be transferred
from one molecule to another as a result of a
collision. Nevertheless, the total energy of all the
molecules in a system remains the same.
3.) Gas molecules exert
neither attractive nor
repulsive forces on one
another.
4.) The average kinetic energy of molecules
is proportional to the temperature of the gas
in kelvins. Any two gases at the same
temperature will have the same average
kinetic energy. The average kinetic energy of
a molecule is given by KE= ½ mv 2
Application to the Gas Laws
Aside from its mathematical details involve
in Kinetic Molecular theory, there is also a
qualitative basis, it is possible to use the theory
to account for the general properties of
substances in the gaseous state. The following
examples illustrate the range of its utility:
Compressibility of Gases.
Because molecules in gas phase are
separated by large distances (assumption
1), gases can be compressed easily to
occupy less volume.
Boyle’s Law.
The pressure exerted by a gas results from the
impact of its molecules on the walls of the
container. The collision rate, or the number of
molecular collisions with the walls per second, is
proportional to the number of density (that is,
number of molecules per unit volume) of the gas.
Decreasing the volume of a given
amount of gas increases its density and
hence its collision rate. For this reason,
the pressure of a gas is inversely
proportional to the volume it occupies;
as volume decreases, pressure increases
and vice versa.
Charles’s Law.
Because the average kinetic energy of gas molecules is
proportional to the sample’s absolute temperature
(assumption 4), raising the temperature increases the average
kinetic energy. Consequently, molecules will collide with the
walls of the container more frequently and with greater
impact if the gases is heated, and thus the pressure increases.
The volume of gas will expand until the gas pressure is
balanced by the constant external pressure.
Avogadro’s Law.
We have shown that the pressure of the gas
is directly proportional to both the density and
the temperature of the gas. Because the mass
of the gas is directly proportional to the
number of moles (n) of the gas, we can
represent density by n/V.
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures.

If the molecules do not attract or repel one another

(assumption 3), the pressure exerted by one type of
molecules is unaffected by the presence of another
gas. Consequently, the total pressure is given by the
sum of individual gas pressures.
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