Properties of Gases

GASEOUS STATE
Introduction
Gaseous state is one state of matter that exhibit physical properties that differs considerably from
the other states of matter (solids and liquids). A gas is made up of individual particles that
together do not have a fixed shape or volume but instead conforms to the volume and shape of its
container. Gas molecules spontaneously fill their containers and are also highly compressible
Gas can also form homogenous mixtures with each other regardless of the identities or relative
proportions present. In this topic we will discuss physical properties that distinguish them from
liquids and solids.
Objectives
 Use properties of gases to compare gases, liquids, and solids
 Describe how pressure of gases is measured
 Describe and use the absolute (Kelvin) temperature scale
 State gas laws: Boyle’s Law, Charles’s Law, Avogadro’s Law
 Use gas laws to describe the relationships among pressure, volume, temperature, and amount
of gas
 Use the ideal gas law, pV = nRT, to do pressure, volume, temperature, mole and densities
calculations as related to gas samples
 Describe molecular motion, diffusion, and effusion of gases
 State Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures
 Describe how mixtures of gases behave and predict their properties (Dalton’s Law of Partial
Pressures)
 Carry out calculations about the gases involved in chemical reactions
 state the basic assumptions of the kinetic theory as applied to an ideal gas
 Apply the kinetic–molecular theory of gases and describe how this theory is consistent with
the observed gas laws
 Explain qualitatively in terms of intermolecular forces and molecular size the conditions
necessary for a gas to approach ideal behavior and limitations to ideality
 Use van der Waals equation to show the non ideal behavior of real gases
GASES
Substances that exist as gases under normal atmospheric conditions, that is 25oC
temperature and 1 atm pressure are being considered as gases.
Only 12 elements are gases under normal atmospheric conditions.
A table of some examples of gaseous elements and compounds

ELEMENTS COMPOUNDS
Name Chemical Name Chemical
formula formula
molecular hydrogen H2 hydrogen fluoride HF
molecular nitrogen N2 hydrogen chloride HCl
molecular oxygen O2 hydrogen bromide HBr
ozone O3 hydrogen iodide HI
molecular fluorine F2 carbon monoxide CO
molecular chlorine Cl2 carbon dioxide CO2
helium He ammonia NH3
neon Ne nitric oxide NO
argon Ar nitrogen dioxide NO2
krypton Kr nitrous oxide N2O
xenon Xe sulfur dioxide SO2
radon Rn hydrogen sulfide H2S
hydrogen cyanide* HCN
* The boiling point of HCN is 26oC, but it is close enough to qualify as a gas at ordinary
atmospheric conditions.
Some properties of gases

1. Gases can be compressed into smaller volumes by applying increased pressure that results in
their densities increasing too, and gases are the most compressible of the states of matter.
2. Gases have much lower densities than liquids and solids.
3. Gases exert pressure on their surroundings for example walls of the container; in turn,
pressure must be exerted to confine gases.
4. Gases expand without limits, and so gas samples completely and uniformly occupy the
volume of any container and therefore assume the volume and shape of their containers.
5. Gases diffuse into one another, and so different gas placed in the same container mix
completely. Conversely, different gases in a mixture do not separate on standing.
6. The amounts and properties of gases are described in terms of temperature, pressure, the
volume occupied, and the number of moles present. For example, a fixed amount of gas
occupies a greater volume when hot than it does when cold at the same pressure.
Pressure of gases
 Gases exert pressure on any surface with which they come in contact, because gas
molecules are constantly in motion.
 As humans, atmospheric gases exert pressure our bodies that we are usually unaware of. This
pressure is referred to as atmospheric pressure.
 This atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude. Why?
 Pressure of gases can be measured in more than one way.
o Using a barometer – atmospheric pressure is measured using a barometer
o Using manometer – is used to measure pressure of other gases other than atmospheric
pressure
 A simple barometer consists of a long glass tube, closed at one end and filled with
mercury. The tube is carefully inverted in a dish of mercury so that no air enters the tube,
then when some mercury flows out of the tube into the dish, a vacuum is created at the
top (See Figure 1).
Figure 1.2 Schematic diagram of a barometer.
The weight of the mercury remaining in the tube is supported by atmospheric pressure acting
on the surface of the mercury in the dish.
 The first barometer was developed by Evangelista Torricelli in 1643.
 A manometer’s principle of operation is similar to that of a barometer. There are two types
of manometers, [see Figure 2(a) and (b)].
Figure 2 Schematic diagram of two types of manometers.

 The closed-tube manometer [Figure 2(a)] is normally used to measure pressures below
atmospheric pressure whereas the open-tube manometer [Figure 2(b)] is better suited for
measuring pressures equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure.
 Most barometers and manometers use mercury as the working fluid, despite the fact that it is
a toxic substance with a harmful vapor. Why?
 Standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm) is equal to the pressure that supports a column of
mercury exactly 760 mm (or 76 cm) high at 0oC at sea level. That is the standard atmosphere
equals a pressure of 760 mmHg, where 1 mmHg represents the pressure exerted by a column
of mercury 1 mm high.
 The mmHg unit is also called the torr, (after the Italian scientist Evangelista Torricelli, who
invented the barometer). Thus 1 torr = 1 mmHg
Common units of pressure include:
 atmosphere (atm)
1 atm = 1.01325 x 105 Pa
= 101.325 kPa
1 atm = 760 mm Hg
1 atm = 760 torr
1 atm = 14.7 lb/inch2
 1 bar
1 bar = 105 Pa
= 100 kPa
 Refer to other sources for other units of pressure

Properties of Gases

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GASEOUS STATE

A table of some examples of gaseous elements and compounds

Some properties of gases

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of two types of manometers.

Common units of pressure include:

1 atm = 1.01325 x 105 Pa

1 atm = 760 torr

1 atm = 14.7 lb/inch2

 Refer to other sources for other units of pressure

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