GRADE 8 CHEMISTRY

UNIT 5
CHEMISTRY BOOK 5.5 & 5.6
PAGES: 88-91
 Gases have mass.
• Gases seem to be weightless, but they
are classified as matter, which means
they have mass.
• The density of a gas – the mass per
unit of volume – is much less than the
density of a liquid or solid, however.
 Physical Characteristics of Gases

• Gases assume the volume and shape of their containers.

• Gases are the most compressible state of matter.
• Gases will mix evenly and completely when confined to the
same container.
• Gases have much lower densities than liquids and solids.
 Compressibility
Gases can expand to fill its container,
unlike solids or liquids
The reverse is also true:

They are easily compressed, or


squeezed into a smaller volume

Compressibility is a measure of how


much the volume of matter
decreases under pressure
To learn about science
Scientists start with asking questions. A question is the
scientific method of doing an experiment
These questions are called empirical questions.
Robert Boyle was a scientist he had
a barometer .
This barometer was first made
by a scientist called Torricelli
Its made of:
 A dish filled with mercury
 A column (tube) of mercury
Boyle noticed that:
 Sometimes the mercury was high in the tube
 At other times it was lower
 Although the level of mercury changes it never fell below a certain minimum level
So he started to wonder why?
That was his empirical question
The second step for scientist is to suggest an explanation
This step is called creative thinking
That is provided by experiments
For Boyle he knew another scientist called Torrcelli that explained that explained the air
pressure using the barometer
So he suggested that :
If there is no air above the mercury in the dish, there
will be no air pressure on the surface of this mercury
The mercury in the tube will be not supported.
After that the scientist use that creative thinking and experimenting
to make predictions
So he did an investigation to test his explanation
1. He and another scientist called Rober Hook designed
an air pump
2.They placed the mercury dish inside the pump and sealed the gap at the
top around the tube
3. The began to pump the air out
they notice that:
 The level of mercury in the tube fell and as they pumped harder
 the height of the mercury fell to 2.5 cm
Boyle conclusion was:
The height of mercury in the tube did not quite fall to the level
of mercury in the dish but came close
The mercury in the dish always experience some air pressure as some air
leaks into the pump
 to summarise the scientific method
1. Ask a question
If there were no air above the mercury in the dish . What would happen to the
level of mercury in the tube?

2. Suggest an explanation
If there were no air above the mercury in the dish, there will be no air pressure on the surface of
the mercury. The mercury in the tube will not be supported

3. Test the explanation

Place the barometer in the air pump. Observe what happens to the level of
mercury in the tube

4. Check the evidence

Does it support the explanation

Yes
The explanation is accepted No