MCAT Chemistry: Unit 8; The Gas Phase

Phases or States

Matter can exist in three different physical forms: solid, liquid, or gas

Gases are called ____ because they can flow

fluids

Gas particles

have weak intermolecular forces between particles; thus they can expand to fill any volume and take the shape of any container. They are also compressible

Gaseous state defined by four variables:

pressure (P) in Pa
volume (V) in mL or L
temperature (T) in K
number of moles (n)

SI unit for pressure

Pascal (Pa)
1 atm = 760 mm Hg = 760 torr = 101.325 Pa

STP conditions

Standard Temperature and Pressure:
273.13 K (0�C) at 1 atm

Ideal Gases

Hypothetical gas whose molecules have no intermolecular forces and occupy no volume
Although real gases deviate from this ideal behavior at high pressures and low temperatures, many real gases demonstrate behavior that is close to ideal

Kinetic Molecular Theory (5 assumptions)

1. Gases are made of particles whose volumes are negligible compared to the container's volume
2. Gas atoms exhibit no intermolecular attractions/repulsions
3. Gas particles are in continuous, random motion
4. Collisions between gas particles are elastic(

Average KE of a gas is proportional to

the absolute temperature of the gas
KE = 1/2 mv^2 = 3/2 kT
m = mass
v = volume
k = Boltzmann constant
T = temperature

root-mean-square speed

This is the average velocity of the gas molecules in a vapor. Found by squaring, averaging, and then Square rooting the velocities of the gas molecules.
R = ideal gas constant
M = molecular mass
T = temperature

Diffusion

The movement of gas molecules through a mixture. Heaver gases move more slowly than lighter ones because of their differing average speeds

Graham's Law

Rate of diffusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molecular weight.

Effusion

The flow of gas particles under pressure from one compartment to another through a small opening. Same equation as that for diffusion

Avogadro's Principle

all gases at a constant temperature and pressure occupy volumes that are directly proportional to the number of moles of gas present

Ideal Gas Law

PV = nRT
P = pressure
V = volume
n = number of moles
R = gas constant = 0.0821(L atm/mol K) or 8.314 J/K mol
T = temperature

Density and the Ideal Gas Law

Density = mass/volume (g/L)
n = (mass m/ molar mass M)
PV = (m/M) RT
KE = 1/2 mv^2 = 3/2 kT

Relate changes in temperature, volume, and pressure of a gas

(P1V1)/T1 = (P2V2)/T2

To calculate changes in colume

V2 = V1 (P1/P2) (T1/T2)

V2 can be used to find the density of the gas under nonstandard conditions

d = m/V2

Molar mass

M = d(stp) � V(stp) = d(stp) (22,4 L/mol)
22.4 L/mol is the STP volume of any gas

Boyle's Law

For a given gaseous sample held at constant temperature the volume of the gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. (n, R, and T are constant in ideal gas law)
PV = k or P1V1 = P2V2
k = proportionality constant

Charles Law

V/T = k
V1/T1 = V2/T2

Gay-Lussac Law

P1/T1=P2/T2

Dalton's Law

At constant volume and temperature, the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the component gases
P = p1 + p2 + p3 + ...
P = total pressure
p = partial pressures

Partial Pressure

p = P � X
P = total pressure
X = moles of partial pressure / total moles of all gases

Gases behave closes to ideal gases under

high temperature and low pressure

Deviations due to Pressure

As the pressure of a gas increases, the particles are pushed closer together. As condensation pressure nears for a given temperature, intermolecular attraction forces become more significnat

Deviations due to Temperature

As the temperature of a gas is decreased, the average velocity of the gas molecules decreases and the attractive intermolecular forces become increasingly significant

Van der Waals equation of state

a and b are physical constants experimentally determined for each gas
a = corrects for attractive forces between molecules
b = corrects for volume of the molecules themselves