Lecture 2-01: The Gaseous State in Review

Gases:
• Expand to fill the container they occupy
• Gas particles interact weakly with one another
• Average distance between gas particles is large compared to
particle size so they are far less dense than solids
• Provide simplest opportunity to relate macroscopic properties
of a substance to molecular structure

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 1

 Vapours
• Gaseous state of substances that ordinarily are liquids or
solids

• Water is normally a liquid at room temperature. However, if

some enters the air, which increases humidity, it is considered
to be a water vapour.
• Oxygen is considered to be a gas while gaseous water is
water vapour.

Properties of Gases
Four properties determine physical behaviour of gases:
• Amount of gas (moles)
• Volume of gas
• Temperature of gas
• Pressure of gas

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 2

 Gas Pressure

The force exerted by a gas on a unit area of the walls of its

container is called the pressure of that gas.

• Pressure = force/area where P(Pa) = F(N)/A(m2)

where Pa = pascal, N = newton and m2 = square metres

• Pressure takes into account the magnitude of the push on an

object and the area of the region upon which it pushes

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 3

 • Two cylinders above have same mass. Which one exerts
greater pressure on the table top? Why?
• An enormous pressure is exerted to the surface of your skin by
a needle using a weak force. Pressure is large in this example
because the point of needle has such small contact area.

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 4

Measuring Pressure

Air pressure may be measured using a barometer, which works

like a balance-one arm is loaded with the mass of mercury in the
tube and the other with a column of air of the same cross-
sectional area that extends to the top of the earth’s atmosphere-
approximately 150 km up.

A height of mercury of 750 mm corresponds to a pressure of 100

kPa or approximately 1 atm.

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 5

Example
A sample of gas supports a column of mercury 680.2 mm high.
What is the pressure of the gas? (Really finding the downward
pressure the mercury column exerting on the mercury pool which
equals downward pressure gas is exerting on same mercury pool)

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 6

Pressure is force (F) divided by area (A)

P = F/A = mg/A

Because the volume of the liquid in any column is V = Ah

P = mg/A = mgh/V

Since density is ρ= m/V, the above equation may be rewritten as

P = ρgh (or dgh in Petrucci)

Note: h is height of fluid in the column

A is the cross sectional area of the column
g is the acceleration due to gravity

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 7

Example
Calculate the height of a column of water which can be supported
by a pressure of 100.0 kPa at 25oC if the density of water is 0.997
g/cm3.

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 8

 When using SI units:
• Force is in newtons (N) which equals kg.m-1.s-2. Think about
F=ma for units.

• Area is in square metres (m2)

• Pressure = force/area has units N.m-2 which is also called a

pascal (Pa)

• Standard pressure (1 bar) is equal to 100 000 Pa exactly.

Kilopascals (kPa) used because pascal so small. Therefore,
standard pressure = 100.000 kPa.

• Standard atmospheric pressure equivalent to pressure

required to support a column of mercury 750 mm tall in a
barometer or equivalent to 750 torr.

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 9

 Gas Volume:

• SI unit for volume is cubic metre (m3)

• Because the cubic metre is large, the cubic decimetre used

in chemistry. One cubic decimetre is equal in volume to one
litre (L). 1 m3 = 1000 dm3 = 1000 L

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 10

Boyle’s Law

Gas volume and gas pressure are related by Boyle’s Law which
states that the pressure of a quantity of a gas is inversely
proportional to its volume when temperature is fixed.

PV = constant

Shape of graph of P vs V is that of a hyperbola

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 11

A useful operational form of this equation is

(P1V1 = P2V2)n,T (Boyle’s Law)

Note: This law is accurate at low pressures but is a reasonable

approximation for gases at commonly used pressures.

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Gas Temperature:

• absolute or Kelvin temperature scale is used in gas laws

• zero Kelvin (0 K) is theoretically the coldest temperature

possible and temperature at which gas molecules have no
kinetic energy.

• real gases condense before reaching absolute zero

• increasingly difficult to cool a substance as absolute zero

approached

T (Kelvin) = t (Celsius) + 273.15

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Where did Kelvin temperature scale come from?

Jacques Charles did a great deal of experimentation in attempt to

discover how temperature (oC) and volume related. He obtained
following type of experimental data but never found simple
relationship.

Volume (L)

Gas data A
Extrapolated temperature
at which volume of gas Gas data B
is theoretically 0.0 L

Gas data C
0.0 L
o o
0C Temperature ( C)
-273oC

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 14

Lord Kelvin took data of Charles and extrapolated back to zero
volume. All extrapolated data went through -273oC. This became
0 K, the beginning of absolute temperature scale.

Volume (L)

Gas data A

Gas data B

Gas data C
0.0 L
273 K Temperature (K)
0K

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 15

Charles Law and Combined Gas Law

Gas volume and absolute temperature related by Charles’s Law

which states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to
its absolute temperature, or

V = constant.T
Shape of V vs T graph is linear

A useful operational form of this equation is

(V1/T1 = V2/T2)P,n

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If Boyle’s and Charles’ Laws are combined, the combined gas
law is obtained.
(P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2)n

Let’s Review

Gases at low pressures (gas particles are far apart) have following
characteristics:

• V α 1/P (constant temperature, fixed amount of gas) – Boyle’s

Law
(P1V1=P2V2)T,n

• V α T (at constant pressure, fixed amount of gas) – Charles’

Law
(V1/T1=V2/T2)P,n

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 17

 • V α n (at constant temperature and pressure) – Avogadro’s
Law.
•
Could be written as V = constant. n (linear plot)

This means that if you double amount of gas molecules,

volume would double if pressure is to remain constant.

A useful operational form of this equation is

(V1/n1 =V2/n2)P,T

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 Combining three gas laws given above, we obtain:

P1V1/n1T1 = P2V2/n2T2

This is the Ideal Gas Law which approximates the behavior for
all gases at atmospheric pressure and becomes increasingly
accurate as pressure is decreased.

Because PV/nT = constant value (R), the Ideal Gas Law, which
explains behaviour of ideal/perfect gas, is written as:

PV = nRT

where R = 8.3145 kPa.L/mol.K

= 8.3145 N.m/mol.K
= 8.3145 J/mol.K
= 0.08206 atm.L/mol.K

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 Example
Oxygen gas can be produced on a small scale from the thermal
decomposition of potassium chlorate to give oxygen and
potassium chloride. Calculate the volume of oxygen at 298 K and
100 kPa that can be produced from 0.532 kg of KClO3.

Solution:

Suggested Homework:
Read Petrucci 178 -187
Problems Chapter 6: 3, 11, 13, 15

APSC 131 – Gases Lecture 2-01 – The Gaseous State in Review 20

Chemistry Curiosity: The working of the widget

Most beers carbonated with CO2(g). While in can, some of this

gas dissolved in beer and some at top of can. When can is
opened, pressure outside less than pressure inside and dissolved
CO2 quickly comes out of solution forming bubbles that produces
the head on the top of the beer.

Stouts, like Guinness, are less fizzy than lagers. They are canned
with mixture of N2(g) and CO2(g) instead of pure CO2. The
nitrogen gas doesn’t dissolve well while the carbon dioxide does,
so even though Guinness at same pressure as can of lager, it
contains less dissolved gas.

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To increase the head on glass of Guinness, a widget is added. It
is plastic, nitrogen-filled sphere with tiny hole in it. It floats in beer,
with hole slightly below surface.

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Just before beer can sealed, small amount of liquid nitrogen
added to beer. This quickly vaporizes increasing pressure in can
and forcing liquid beer containing dissolved CO2(g) into widget
and compressing the N2(g) in the widget.

When can is opened, pressure in can quickly drops. The

compressed gas in widget expands pushing beer trapped in
widget out through tiny hole. As beer rushes out of widget (like
shaking a can of coke) dissolved CO2(g) in beer comes out of
solution forming the head on the top of the glass of beer.

Isn’t chemistry great!!!!!

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