CHE 201

YOUER NAME

Experiment #10:
Determination of the Gas Law
Constant

Experiment conducted on Monday, February 04, 2016

Instructor: Dr. Shashikanth Ponnala

Laboratory Partners:
Objectives: The sole learning objective of this laboratory experiment is to determine the value of

the universal gas constant, R.

Materials:

a. Chemicals: magnesium metal (Mg), magnesium ribbon (Mg), 0.1M hydrochloric acid

(HCl), distilled water (H2O), and 1M hydrochloric acid (HCl).

b. Equipment: glass syringe, goggles, boiling tube, syringe, ring stands, 50 mL beaker,

tweezers, analytical balance, boiling tube, pipet, plunger of the syringe, rubber stopper,

clamp, and barometer.

Methods:

1. The equipment shown in the laboratory manual under the experimental procedure was set

up. Care was exercised to avoid breaking the glass syringe. The boiling tube and the

syringe was securely clamped to separate the ring stands.

2. The magnesium metal contained a surface coating of oxide that had to be removed prior

to the reaction. The coating was removed by dipping the magnesium ribbon in a 50 mL

beaker containing approximately 20 mL of 0.1M hydrochloric acid, HCl. The ribbon was

held with tweezers. The tweezers never came in contact with the acid. Once the coating

was removed, the ribbon was thoroughly rinsed with distilled water and then dried with a

paper towel.
3. Between 0.016-0.018 g of the cleaned magnesium ribbon was weighed to four (4)

decimal places on the analytical balance and its mass was recorded on the data sheet. This

was done because using more that 0.018 g of Mg would have resulted in more gas being

produced than the syringe can hold.

 4. A clean, dry boiling tube was obtained. 4 mL of 1M HCl was pipeted into the boiling

tube. It was noted that the concentration is different than that used in step 2. Splashing the

acid on the sides of the tube was avoided. Doing this made introducing the Mg into the

acid easier.
5. The boiling tube containing the acid was tilted and the weighed magnesium ribbon was

placed on the upper inside wall of the tube. The Mg ribbon did come in contact with the

acid at this point. With the tube still tilted, the plunger of the syringe was pushed all the

way in and the rubber stopper was then inserted into the tube. The reading was recorded

as the initial volume on the data sheet.

6. The boiling tube was placed upright and the Mg ribbon was allowed to slide into the HCl

solution. The side of the tube was tapped if the ribbon stuck. The tube was clamped into

place on the ring stand and the reaction was allowed to proceed until no further bubbles

were seen and all the Mg ribbon had disappeared. The plunger was then carefully rotated

to ensure it was not sticking; the plunger was not pushed. After the reaction was

completed, the apparatus was allowed to sit for 5 minutes to allow the gas to equilibrate.

Then, the final volume of the gas in the syringe was recorded on the data sheet.
7. Using the barometer on the instructors table, the atmospheric pressure in mmHg was

measured. Also, the room temperature was measured using a thermometer. Both values

were recorded on the data sheet.

8. The experiment was repeated until 2 sets of data that agree with each other were

obtained. It was not necessary to clean the boiling tube between determinations, but a dry

tube made introducing the Mg ribbon into the acid easier.

Data and Calculations:

Determination Determination Determination Average

 Determination
1 2 3 4 (Average)
Mass of Mg, g 0.0180 0.0170 0.0168 0.0173
Moles of Mg 0.43749 0.413185 0.408324 0.4204765
Moles of H2 7.8381 8.632 8.433 8.301
Initial Syringe 0 0 0 0

Reading, mL
Final Syringe 15.8 17.4 17.0 16.73

Reading, mL
Volume H2 15.8 17.4 17.0 16.73

collected, mL

(Final reading

initial reading)
Volume H2 0.0158 0.0174 0.0170 0.01673

collected, L
Temperature C 20 20 20 20
Temperature K 293.15 293.15. 293.15 293.15
Barometric 788 788 788 788

Pressure, mmHg
Vapor pressure of 18.7 18.7 18.7 18.7

H2O, mmHg
Corrected 769.3 769.3 769.3 769.3

pressure, mmHg
Corrected 1.0122 1.0122 1.0122 1.0122

pressure, atm
Calculated R 6.96 x 10-6 6.32 x 10-6 6.47 x 10-6 6.58 x 10-6

value, L-

atm/mol-K
Average R value, 6.58 x 10-6 6.58 x 10-6 6.58 x 10-6 6.58 x 10-6

L-atm/mol-K
True value of R, 6.964 x 10-6 6.964 x 10-6 6.964 x 10-6 6.964 x 10-6

L-atm/mol-K
% error of 5.514 x 10-6 % 5.514 x 10-6 % 5.514 x 10-6 % 5.514 x 10-6 %

average R

Calculations:

1. The balanced equation for the reaction, including state symbols.

2Mg(s) + 2HCl 2MgCl(aq) + H2(g)

2. Sample calculation for moles of Mg and moles of H2

Mass of Mg is 24.305 grams.

Therefore, one mole of Mg weighs 24.305 grams. 0.0180 x 24.305 = .43749

H2 molar mass = 1.0079, moles of determination 1 = 7.8381

3. Sample conversion of mL H2 to L H2

15.8 mL x 0.001 = 0.0158

4. Sample calculation for corrected pressure and conversion of corrected pressure from

mmHg to atm.

788 18.7 = 769.3

1 mmHg = 0.00131578947 atm

R=(PV)/(nT)

769.3 mmHg(0.00131578947 atm/1 mmHg) = 1.0122

5. Sample conversion of C to K.

1C = 273.15

20 + 273.15 = 293.15 K

6. Sample Calculation of R.

R=(PV)/(nT)
 R = [1.0122(0.0158)]/[7.8381(293.15)] = 0.01599276/2,297.73902 = 0.00000696 L-

atm/mol-K = 6.96 x 10-6 L-atm/mol-K

7. Calculation of percent error of R.

% error = [(|Accepted Measured|)/Accepted] x 100

% error = [(|6.964 x 10-6 - 6.58 x 10-6|)/6.964 x 10-6] x 100

% error = 5.514 x 10-6 %

Discussion:

To understand the concept of the ideal gas equation and what the term ideal gas really

means and the behavior of gases, it is better to assume the gases are in an ideal state where it is

unaffected by conditions of the real world. The behavior of a gas must follow Kinetic-Molecular

Theory for it to be ideal. An equation was created to deal with solving gas problems known as

the Ideal Gas Equation. Even though it has been implanted in people to believe that nothing ideal

exists, two assumptions should have been made beforehand. These two assumptions are that the

particles have no forces acting among them and that these particles do not take up any space,

which means that their atomic volume is completely ignored.

There are four gas variables and one constant in the equation that should be mentioned

before stating the Ideal Gas Equation. These include pressure (P), volume (V), number of mole

of gas (n), and temperature (T). Lastly, the constant in the equation shown is R, known as the gas

constant: PV = nRT. And another way to describe an ideal gas is to write it in mathematical

terms: (PV)/(nRT) = 1. When an ideal gas is plugged into the aforementioned equation, it will
always equal one and the more it deviates from one, the more it behaves like an ideal gas.

Pressure is directly proportional to number of molecule and temperature because P is on the

opposite side of the equation to n and T. Pressure is indirectly proportional to volume because P

is on the same side of the equation with V. An ideal gas is defined as one that obeys the ideal gas

equation. Real gases obey the equation reasonably well at lower pressures and higher

temperatures such as normal pressure and temperature conditions.

Ideal Gas Laws are Boyles Law, Charles Law, and Avogadros Law. Boyles Law

describes the inverse proportional relationship between pressure and volume at a constant

temperature and a fixed amount of gas. This law came from a manipulation of the Ideal Gas

Law: P1V1. (UC Davis). Charles's Law describes the directly proportional relationship

between the volume and temperature (in Kelvin) of a fixed amount of gas, when the pressure is

held constant: (V1/T1) = (V2/T2), (UC Davis). Lastly, Volume of a gas is directly proportional to

the amount of gas at a constant temperature and pressure: (V1/n1) = (V2n2), (UC Davis).

With the data recorded during the procedure of the laboratory experiment and upon the

completion of the experiment, the value of R was successfully determined using the equation R =

(PV)/(nT). This was the sample calculation for the first set of data: R=(PV)/(nT)

R = [1.0122(0.0158)]/[7.8381(293.15)] = 0.01599276/2,297.73902 = 0.00000696 L-atm/mol-K =

6.96 x 10-6 L-atm/mol-K. However, the average of all the calculated R values was 6.58 x 10-6 L-

atm/mol-K. This R value was fairly accurate considering that the percent error was calculated

using the following formula for percent data calculation: % error = [(|Accepted

Measured|)/Accepted] x 100. Therefore, substituting in all values using the data table included in

this laboratory report the following was calculated and concluded:

% error = [(|6.964 x 10-6 - 6.58 x 10-6|)/6.964 x 10-6] x 100 % error = 5.514 x 10-6 %. The

percent error was well below zero percent suggesting a fair amount of accuracy in the

experiment and the calculated values.

However, precautions were taken for all the aforementioned possible errors. To avoid

having the magnesium ribbon slide into the tube to the HCl before the system was closed, the

tube was tilted enough for the magnesium ribbon to remain still until the system in closed. Then,

the tube was straightened and the ribbon was allowed to fall into the HCl. Next, to avoid having

excess coating, the MgO was cleaned in the 0.1M HCl for about five to seven seconds before

washing it with distilled water and dried with a dry paper towel. The other errors were avoided

by having more than one member calculate the values, weighing more than once, and adjusting

equipment if necessary and using other materials if the first ones obtained seemed incompetent

of being used in the procedures.

Conclusion:

There was one sole objective of this laboratory experiment and that was to determine the

value of the universal gas constant, R. As aforesaid, with the data recorded during the procedure

of the laboratory experiment and upon the completion of the experiment, the value of R was

successfully determined using the equation R = (PV)/(nT). This was the sample calculation for

the first set of data: R=(PV)/(nT).

R = [1.0122(0.0158)]/[7.8381(293.15)] = 0.01599276/2,297.73902 = 0.00000696 L-atm/mol-K =

6.96 x 10-6 L-atm/mol-K. However, the average of all the calculated R values was 6.58 x 10-6

L-atm/mol-K. This R value was fairly accurate considering that the percent error was calculated

using the following formula for percent data calculation: % error = [(|Accepted
Measured|)/Accepted] x 100. Therefore, substituting in all values using the data table included in

this laboratory report the following was calculated and concluded:

% error = [(|6.964 x 10-6 - 6.58 x 10-6|)/6.964 x 10-6] x 100 % error = 5.514 x 10-6 %. The

percent error was well below zero percent suggesting a fair amount of accuracy in the

experiment and the calculated values.

References

Miller, Dionne. 2013. General Chemistry I SCC201 Lab Manual Revised Printing [Laboratory

Manual]. LaGuardia Community College.

UC Davis. "The Ideal Gas Law." UC Davis ChemWiki. University of California, Davis, n.d.

Web. 01 Dec. 2014.

<http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Chemistry/Physical_Properties_of_Matter/Phases

_of_Matter/Gases/The_Ideal_Gas_Law>.