Kinetic Molecular Theory of ‘Ideal’ Gases

 Particles in an ideal gas…

• have no volume.
• have elastic collisions (ie. billiard ball
particles exchange energy with eachother,
but total KE is conserved
• are in constant, random, straight-line motion.
• don’t attract or repel each other.
• have an avg. KE directly related to
temperature ( temp= motion= KE)
 Real Gases
 Particles in a REAL gas…
• have their own volume
• attract each other (intermolecular forces)

 Gas behavior is most ideal…

• at low pressures
• at high temperatures
Why???
 Real Gases
 At STP, molecules of gas are moving fast and are
very far apart, making their intermolecular forces
and volumes insignificant, so assumptions of an
ideal gas are valid under normal temp/pressure
conditions. BUT…

• at high pressures: gas molecules are pushed

closer together, and their interactions with each
other become more significant due to volume
• at low temperatures: gas molecules move
slower due to KE and intermolecular forces
are no longer negligible
 Pressure

force
pressure 
area

Which shoes create the most pressure?

 Atmospheric Pressure
 The gas molecules in the atmosphere are pulled
toward Earth due to gravity, exerting pressure

 Why do your ears ‘pop’ in an airplane?

 Pressure
 Barometer
• measures atmospheric pressure

Mercury Barometer
 Units of Pressure
 At Standard Atmospheric Pressure (SAP)
101.325 kPa (kilopascal)
1 atm (atmosphere)
760 mm Hg
(millimeter Hg) N
760 torr kPa  2
m
14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Standard Temperature & Pressure

STP
Standard Temperature & Pressure

0°C 273 K
-OR-
1 atm 101.325 kPa
Temperature: The Kelvin Scale
 Always use absolute temperature
(Kelvin) when working with gases.
ºC
-273 0 100
K
0 273 373

C  K  273 K = ºC + 273
 Kelvin and Absolute Zero
 Scottish physicist Lord Kelvin suggested that -273oC (0K) was the temperature at which the motion particles within a
gas approaches zero.. And thus, so does volume)

 Absolute Zero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHXxPnmyDbk
 Comparing the Celsius and Kelvin Scale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G9FdNqUVBQ
 Why Use the Kelvin Scale?
 Not everything freezes at 0 oC, but for ALL substances, motion stops at 0K.
 It eliminates the use of negative values for temperature! Makes mathematic
calculations possible (to calculate the temp. twice warmer than -5 oC we can’t use
2x(-5oC) because we would get -10oC!)
Kelvin Scale vs Celsius Scale
 Converting between Kelvin and Celsius

C  K  273 K = ºC + 273
a) 0oC =_____K
b) 100oC= _____K
c) 25oC =______K
d) -12oC = ______K
e) -273K = ______oC
f) 23.5K = ______oC
g) 373.2K= ______oC
How Did We Do So Far?
Learning Goal:

I will be able to understand

what kinetic energy is and how
it relates to gases and
temperature, describe the
properties of a real and ideal
gas and understand what
Absolute Zero is and how to
convert between the Kelvin and
Celsius temperature scales.
Part B: The Gas Laws
Part B:
Learning Goals
I will be able to describe
Boyle’s, Charles’ and Gay-
Lussac’s Laws relating T,
P and/or V and be able to
calculate unknown values
using the equations
derived from these laws, as
well as the combined gas
law.
 1. Intro to Boyle’s Law
 Imagine that you hold the tip of a syringe on the tip of your finger
so no gas can escape. Now push down on the plunger of the
syringe.

What happens to the volume in the syringe?

What happens to the pressure the gas is exerting in the syringe?

1. Boyle’s Law
 1. Boyle’s Law
 The pressure and volume of a gas are
inversely proportional (as one increases,
the other decreases, and vice versa
• at constant mass & temp

V
 1. Boyle’s Law

Boyle’s Law leads to the mathematical

expression: *Assuming temp is constant

P1V1=P2V2
Where P1 represents the initial pressure

V1 represents the initial volume,

And P2 represents the final pressure

V2 represents the final volume

 Example Problem:
A weather balloon with a volume of 2000L at a pressure of 96.3
kPa rises to an altitude of 1000m, where the atmospheric pressure
is measured to be 60.8kPa. Assuming there is no change in the
temperature or the amount of gas, calculate the weather balloon’s
final volume.
 You Try:
Atmospheric pressure on the peak of Kilimanjaro can be as low as
0.20 atm. If the volume of an oxygen tank is 10.0L, at what
pressure must the tank be filled so the gas inside would occupy a
volume of 1.2 x 103L at this pressure?
2. Intro to Charles’ Law
 Imagine that you put a balloon filled with gas in liquid nitrogen

What is happening to the temperature of the gas in the

balloon?

What will happen to the volume of the balloon?

2. Charles’ Law
2. Charles’ Law
 The volume and absolute temperature (K) of
a gas are directly proportional (an increase
in temp leads to an increase in volume)
• at constant mass & pressure

T
2. Charles’ Law
2. Charles’ Law
 Charles’ Law leads to the mathematical
expression:

*Assuming pressure remains constant

 Example Problem:
A birthday balloon is filled to a volume of 1.5L of helium gas in an
air-conditioned room at 293K. The balloon is taken outdoors on a
warm day where the volume expands to 1.55L. Assuming the
pressure and the amount of gas remain constant, what is the air
temperature outside in Celsius?
 You Try:
A beach ball is inflated to a volume of 25L of air at 15oC. During
the afternoon, the volume increases by 1L. What is the new
temperature outside?
 You Try:
A beach ball is inflated to a volume of 25L of air at 15oC. During
the afternoon, the volume increases by 1L. What is the new
temperature outside?
 You Try:
A beach ball is inflated to a volume of 25L of air at 15oC. During
the afternoon, the volume increases by 1L. What is the new
temperature outside?
3. Intro to Gay-Lussac’s Law

PRESSURE COOKER
3. Intro to Gay-Lussac’s Law
3. Intro to Gay-Lussac’s Law
Inside a pressure cooker the food that you want to cook
sits in water. As the temperature of the liquid water is
increased, water vapor (water in its gas state) is
produced. This vapor cannot escape the pressure
cooker – meaning the volume is not changing. The
pressure of the water vapor keeps rising until the
temperature of the water and the water vapor exceed
the normal boiling point of water (100 °C). At this higher
temperature food can be cooked much faster. Tough
meat also comes out much more tender after being
cooked in a pressure cooker.
3. Gay-Lussac’s Law
 Gay-Lussac’s law is a gas law that states the pressure
of a gas varies directly with temperature when mass
and volume are kept constant. As the temperature
increases, the pressure will also increase.

The concept is shown graphically below.

T
 3. Gay-Lussac’s Law
Gay-Lussac's Law is very similar to Charles's Law,
with the only difference being the type of container.
Whereas the container in a Charles's Law experiment
is flexible, it is rigid in a Gay-Lussac's Law experiment.
2. Gay-Lussac’s Law
 Gay-Lussac’s Law leads to the mathematical
expression:

*Assuming volume remains constant

Sometimes, you will see the symbolic equation in cross-multip

form:

P1T2 = P2T1
 Example Problem 1:
The gas in an aerosol can is
under a pressure of 3.00atm
at a temperature of 25oC. It is
dangerous to dispose of an
aerosol can by incineration.
What would the pressure in
the aerosol can be at a
temperature of 845oC?
 Example Problem 2:

Your car tire is reading 2.24

atm and the temperature
outside is 80oF. What will the
tire final temperature be when
the pressure is 1.90 atm?
(Assume the volume of the
tire does not change if it goes
flat)
 You Try:
You are trying to dispose of an
aerosol container that has a
pressure of 901 torr at 40oC.
When the container is disposed
of, it may increase to a
temperature of 110oC. What
would the pressure be at this
temperature?
 SHORT QUIZ #4
Write your complete solution.
1. At a 34°F a confined ammonia gas
has a pressure of 2.50 atm. At what
temperature would its pressure be
equal to 945 mm Hg?
 
2. The helium tank has a pressure of
650 torr at 15°C. What will be the
pressure if the temperature is tripled?