Gas laws

Ideal and real gaes

 ideal gas law

many gases behave approximately as if they were

ideal at ordinary working temperatures and pressures

• P is the absolute pressure (SI units Pascals),

• V is the volume of gas (SI units m3),
• n is the chemical amount of gas (SI units mole),
• T is thermodynamic temperature (SI units Kelvin).
The molar volume of a gas at stp  for ideal gases
• 1 mole of any gas occupies 22.4 dm3 at stp (standard temperature
and pressure, taken as 0°C and 1 atmosphere pressure).
• You may also have used a value of 24.0 dm3 at room temperature and
pressure (taken as about 20°C and 1 atmosphere).

Molar volume of a gas = volume of one mole of the gas

Pressure, p

• Pressure is measured in pascals, Pa - sometimes expressed as

newtons per square metre, N m-2. These mean exactly the same
thing.
• You must make that conversion before you use the ideal gas equation.
• Should you want to convert from other pressure measurements:
• 1 atmosphere = 101,325 Pa
• 1 bar = 100 kPa = 100,000 Pa
Number of moles, n

• it is just a number. You already know

that you work it out by dividing the mass
in grams by the mass of one mole in
grams.
• You will most often use the ideal gas
equation by first making the substitution
to give:
The gas constant, R

• The SI value for R is 8.31441 J K-1 mol-1

• You may come across other values for this with different units.

A commonly used one in the past was 82.053 cm3 atm K-1 mol-1.
• The units tell you that the volume would be in cubic centimetres and
the pressure in atmospheres.
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The temperature, T

• The temperature has to be in kelvin.

• Don't forget to add 273 if you are given a temperature in degrees
Celsius
We can use the ideal gas equation to calculate the volume of 1 mole
of an ideal gas at 0°C and 1 atmosphere pressure

First, we have to get the units right.

• 0°C is 273 K. T = 273 K
• 1 atmosphere = 101325 Pa. p = 101325 Pa
We know that
 n = 1, because we are trying to calculate the volume of 1 mole of gas.
• And, R = 8.31441 J K-1 mol-1.
Slotting all of this into the ideal gas equation :

Molar voleme of the gas at stp = 22.4 L

Finding the relative formula mass of a gas from its density

• The density of ethane is 1.264 g dm-3 at 20°C and 1 atmosphere.

• Calculate the relative formula mass of ethane.

The density value means that 1 dm3 of ethane weighs 1.264 g.

Finding the relative formula mass of a gas from its density

• The density of ethane is 1.264 g dm-3 at 20°C and 1 atmosphere.

Calculate the relative formula mass of ethane.
before we do anything else, get the awkward units sorted out.
• A pressure of 1 atmosphere is 101325 Pa.
• The volume of 1 dm3 has to be converted to cubic metres, by dividing
by 1000. We have a volume of 0.001 m3.
• The temperature is 293 K.
• Now put all the numbers into the form of the ideal gas equation
which lets you work with masses, and rearrange it to work out the
mass of 1 mole.
• The mass of 1 mole of anything is
simply the relative formula mass in
grams.
• So the relative formula mass of
ethane is 30.4, to 3 significant
figures.