THE GAS

LAWS
PORSCHIA MARIE D. ROSALEM, LPT
 Gas Pressure
◦ Pressure is the force exerted per unit area.
P=
oForce can be attributed to the weight of air molecules that are attracted to the
surface by gravity.
oAir molecules vary at different altitudes, as well as atmospheric pressure. More
air molecules are present at lower altitude than at a higher altitude, making the
pressure low at high places.
oAir is fluid; thus, pressure runs in all directions. Pressure in opposite directions
balance once another.
 Factors that Affect Gas Pressure
◦ Temperature – pertains to the measurement of the speed of particles
while moving inside an object. The faster the particles move, the more
energy and heat they generate, which leads to greater amount of
pressure in the gas.
◦ Volume – the amount of space an object takes up. In gases, volume
depends on the vessel containing the gas. Less volume denotes higher
pressure.
◦ Number of Particles – the more gas particles in a container, the greater
is its pressure, and vice versa.
Units of Pressure
 Gas Laws
◦ The gas laws define the relationship among pressure,
temperature, volume, and number of moles of a specific
quantity of gas.
 Boyle’s Law
◦ In 1662, Robert Boyle carefully measured at room temperature some volumes of air samples which he
subjected to different pressures.
◦ Results show that the numerical product of pressure and volume are practically the same. Regardless of
the amount of pressure inserted in the air samples, the product remains constant which resulted to
Boyle’s Law symbolized as:
PV = k (at constant temperature)
P = (at constant temperature)
o Boyle stated that the volume of a certain mass of gas is inversely proportional to the pressure at constant
temperature. Hence, when the pressure on the gas increases, the volume decreases; if the pressure
decreases, the volume increases.
 Charles’ Law
◦ Charle’s Law states that when the temperature of the gas increases,
the volume also increases; and, if the temperature decreases, the
volume decreases.
◦ Doubling the Kelvin temperature doubles the volume, tripling the
Kelvin temperature increases the volume thrice.
 Gay-Lussac’s Law
◦ In 1802, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac stated that the pressure of
a certain mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute
temperature at constant volume.
◦ The direct proportion relationship between the two means
that if the temperature increases, the pressure will also
increase; and if the temperature decreases, the volume will
also decrease.
 Combined Gas Law
◦ The combined gas law, a combination of Boyle’s Law, Charle’s Law, and Gay-Lussac’s Law,
states that volume is inversely proportional to its pressure and directly proportional to its
absolute temperature.
 Avogadro’s Law
◦ Avogadro’s Law states that the volume of gas, at a constant
temperature and pressure, is directly proportional to the
number of moles of gas present.
◦ When the original number of moles is doubled, the volume
of the gas increases twofold; conversely, having the original
number of moles of gas likewise halves the volume.
 Ideal Gas Law

◦ The ideal gas law illustrates the relationship among the pressure, volume, temperature, and
moles of gas. According to the law:
1. Volume is inversely proportional to pressure at constant temperature (PV = k);
2. Volume is directly proportional to temperature at constant pressure (V = KT);
3. Pressure is directly proportional to temperature at constant volume (P =kT); and
4. Volume is directly proportional to the number of moles of gas present at constant
temperature and pressure (V = kn).
PV = knT or PV = nRT
k = R = 0.0821
◦ The equation is based on the assumption that gas molecules neither
attract nor repel one another, and that their volume is negligible
compared with the volume of the container. Though behavior of
gases is not treated real, the discrepancies do not significantly affect
calculations over reasonable temperature and pressure ranges.
 Behavior of Real Gases
1. At high pressure, the density of gas increases. The molecules are much closer to one another. Intermolecular
forces affect the motion of the molecules.
2. The molecules’ average kinetic energy decreases when the temperature decreases. Hence, the force molecules
need to break away from attraction is deprived.
The ideal gas equation is used in calculating different gas variables, including even mass, molar mass (M),
and density (P) of the gas.
PV = nRT n=
\
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures

◦ In 1801, John Dalton established the Law of Partial

Pressures, which states that the total pressure of a gas
mixture is only a sum of the partial pressures of the
component gases.
 STOICHIOMETRIC CALCULATIONS
INVOLVING GASES
Volume-to-
Volume
Relationship
Volume-to-Mass Relationship
Mass-to-Volume Relationship
 KINETIC MOLECULAR
THEORY OF GASES
◦ Gases have no definite shape and volume, have low density and
large compressibility, and exhibit expansibility. They expand and
compress when the temperature and pressure are altered.
1. Indefinite Volume and Shape
2. Low density
3. Large compressibility
◦ Indefinite volume and shape – The gas particles are in constant motion
and therefore possess kinetic energy. The particles move in all
directions and completely fill up their containers regardless of the
shape and size. There is less attractive force between gas particles.
Likewise, all these explain the expansibility of gases.
◦ Low density – The gas particles are widely separated. The spaces
among them are too big, which means that there is little mass per
volume.
◦ Large compressibility – The gas particles are separated far apart from
each other. They can be pushed closer to each other when pressure is
applied.
◦ KMT is consistent with the gas laws:
1.Boyle’s Law
2.Charles’ Law
3.Gay-Lussac’s Law
4.Avogadro’s Law
5.Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure
 BOYLE’S LAW
◦ Gas particles collide with one another and hit the walls of the
container which results to gas pressure. If the volume of the
container is increased at constant temperature, the number of
collisions will decrease because of the greater distance to travel
between collisions.
 CHARLE’S LAW
◦ Gas particles move quickly when the temperature is increased.
Molecules stay far apart to keep pressure constant and because of
this the volume increases.
 GAY-LUSSAC’S LAW
◦ Gas particles move rapidly when the temperature is increased. The
increase in kinetic energy causes the gas particles to hit the
container more frequently at constant volume, and thus, the
pressure increases.
 AVOGADRO’S LAW
◦ When the number of gas particles is increased, more of them will
collide with the walls of the container. Keeping the pressure
constant involves increasing the volume of the container so the
particles strike the walls less frequently.
 DALTON’S LAW OF PARTIAL
PRESSURES
◦ The components in a mixture of gas act independently of each other
and each contributes its own pressure to the total pressure within
the container.
Graham’s Law of Effusion
◦ According to KMT, gas particles are in constant motion. The particles move in all directions
and completely fill up their containers regardless of shape and size.
◦ Gas particles do not move at the same rate. Higher density and higher molar mass diffuse
(gradual mixing of gases) or effuse (escaping from a small opening of the container) more
slowly than a gas of lower density or molar mass. Lighter gases move faster than heavier
gases.