EXPERIMENT NO.

1
DETERMINATION OF MOLAR VOLUME AND
UNIVERSAL GAS CONSTANT

REPORTERS:
MIGUEL, JOSELLE ANNE LOUISE
PASCUAL, MCKENNETH
ROBILO, CHRISTELE ROSE

Virgilio Agbayani
Professor

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to determine the molar volume and universal gas constant.
Molar volume is the volume occupied by a mole of a gas at STP and the universal gas constant(R) is the
physical constant that is used in many fundamental equations in physical science such as the ideal gas
las. The objective of the experiment was to obtain the molar volume of the gas from the displacement
reaction. The molar volume was to be obtained by reacting the weighted specific metals to the HCl that
would produce a gas. The metals were weighed before putting it in the burette with the 5ml HCl then
filled with H2O until it was almost full. Afterwards, the burette was covered with a cork and was inverted
slowly then kept it in a beaker filled with water. Once the HCl meets with the metal, a reaction would take
place that would produce a gas. As the pressure of the gas increases because of the reaction, the HCl
and the water will find way escape from the burette. As the reaction takes place, the metal will eventually
fade until the reaction is complete. When the reaction is complete, the volume of the gas was then
measured and was used to compute the molar volume of the gas. At the same time, the same reaction
was performed in the same manner and computed by substituting the data obtained to the formula of
getting the gas constant. The results were accurate due to its minimal percent error which is cause by
some leakage in the equipment.

I.

Introduction

There are a number of gas laws described. Some, like the laws of Avogadro,
Boyle and Charles, concern how one of the four variables pressure, volume,
absolute temperature, and number of moles varies when another is changed, with
two of the four being held constant. Two other relationships are of a more general
nature. One, the Combined Gas Law, represents a combining of the simpler laws.
Given that volume is inversely proportional to pressure (Boyle's Law), and directly
proportional to temperature (Charles' Law), you can write an expression that
incorporates both sets of observations:

P1 V 1 P 2 V 2
=
T1
T2
Going one step further and introducing the law of Avogadro, which says that
the volume occupied by a gas is directly proportional to the number of moles of gas in
the system, gives the expression

P1 V 1 P2 V 2
=
n1 T 1 n2 T 2
In which P1, V1, n1 and T1 refer to an initial set of conditions and P2, V2, n2
and T2 refer to the final conditions, after the change has occurred. This "combined"
gas law allows you to do calculations involving changes in any or all of the four
variables. What the equation tells us is that the value of the expression, PV/nT, does
not change; if that is the case, then we can determine a value for PV/nT that should
be valid under any set of conditions as long as the sample remains a gas. In other
words we can state that

PV
nT

This relationship (
Ideal Gas Law:

PV
nT

= constant = R

= R ) can be rearranged to the form known as the

PV = nRT
The constant, R, is known as the universal gas constant. One of your
objectives in this experiment is to determine the value of R experimentally. Notice that
the units of R must reflect pressure multiplies to the volume, divided by number of
moles times temperature. R is most often expressed in units of

L atm
K ml

(liter-

atmospheres per mole-kelvin). In this experiment you will calculate the value of R for
each of three trials, as well as an average result which will then be used to determine
your percentage error. You will first determine the molar volume of a gas. You will then
use the molar volume at laboratory conditions to determine what volume one mole of
gas would occupy at STP (0C and one atmosphere pressure). You can make this
conversion by using the combined gas law. Once that is done, you will use your
experimental values of P, V, n, and T to calculate an experimental value for R. As with
the molar volume calculation, you will determine individual values for each trial, along
with an average value, which you will compare with the accepted value of R: 0.08206

L atm
K ml .
In this experiment, it aims to look for an answer in determining the volume
occupied in a mole of gas by the given equations:

2 HC l (aq )+ Z n(s) ZnCl2 + H 2(g )

2 HC l (aq )+ Mg(s) MgCl 2 + H 2(g )
Also, the universal gas constant will be known using an ideal gas law,
PV=nRT. You can measure the volume of the gas and use that same volume to find
the mass of that gas. Avogadros law states that equal volumes of gases under the
same temperature and pressure can contain equal numbers of molecules. This proves
that there is a quantitative relationship between the molar mass and the molar volume
of a gas. And if you know the volume of one mole at room temperature and pressure
then you can use these to calculate the universal gas constant. In this experiment the
reaction of magnesium between hydrochloric acid will produce magnesium chloride
and hydrogen gas. Also the same process for zinc metal and it will produce zinc
chloride and hydrogen gas. And lastly, you will calculate an experimental value for R
using the measured pressure, volume, temperature, and moles of
also calculate an experimental molar volume of
standard temperature and pressure.

H2

H 2 gas. You will

scaled to conditions of

II.

Methodology

The procedure of this experiment guided us to make a set-up of an inverted

burette fastened with a cork stopper. Inside the burette were a diluted solution of 10
mL HCl (Hydrochloric Acid) 12M, a small piece of Mg (Magnesium) Ribbon or small
piece of Zn (Zinc) metal, and enough distilled water so as not to allow the air to enter
in the burette. Once the Mg (Magnesium) Ribbon or Zn (Zinc) metal reacted with the
HCl, the volume of the gas was measured by the volumetric calibrations on the
burette. After measuring the volume, the experiment was repeated thrice to compare
the results to see if a constant value could be derived.

III.

Discussion of Results

In the determination of molar volume and universal gas constant of the

following metal used, an experiment was conducted to each metal. First, 10.0 ml of
concentrated HCl was measured in a burette and added enough water slowly so it will
not completely mix with the concentrated HCl and to take up the empty spaces. After
that, a small strip of metal was weighed and was clipped in a nichrome wire and then
clipped it to the cork to be put in the solution in the burette. After that, the burette was
inverted to a 1.0 L beaker that was half filled with water. Then slowly loose but not too
loose, make sure it is still in tacked in the burette so the air will circulate. Then, after a
couple of minutes the metal reacted completely by means of being dissolved in the
solution in the burette, and therefore the volume of the hydrogen produced was
measured and observed. The same procedure is applied in both metals to be used.

Metal used
Atomic Weight of metal

Data
Magnesium Ribbon

mg
24.31
mol

Zinc Metal

65.38

mg
mol

Mass of metal

20.0 mg

60 mg

Millimole of metal

0.82 mol

0.92 mmol

Volume of hydrogen gas

collected
Barometric pressure

18.0 ml

21.0 ml

760 mmHg

760 mmHg

27.0

27.0

26.74 mmHg

26.74 mmHg

Temperature
Vapor pressure of water
Molar volume (calculated)

21.95

ml
mmol

22.83

ml
mmol

Gas-constant (calculated)

5.56 x 104

Molar volume (accepted)

ml mmHg
K mol

24.644

Gas-constant (accepted)

6.24 x 10 4

Percentage difference

ml
mmol

ml mmHg
K mol

5.78 x 104

ml mmHg
K mol

24.644
6.24 x 10 4

11.5 %

ml
mmol

ml mmHg
K mol

7.7 %

The reaction of the solution in the burette to the Zinc metal is:

2 HC l (aq )+ Z n(s) ZnCl2 + H 2(g )

While in Magnesium Ribbon:

2 HC l (aq )+ Mg(s) MgCl 2 + H 2(g )

IV.

V.

Conclusion

The molar volume of the gas produced from the displacement reaction was
obtained with a slight percent difference due to the gas leakage from the
burette.
In this experiment, the universal gas constant was evaluated from the
experimental values of pressure, temperature and molar volume collected.
The results from the experiment were compared with the accepted value.
It is advisable to use a burette or a different apparatus with a wider hole so
that the cork would not be detached from it.
One of the main sources of error was the systematic error.

Appendices

Vapor pressure of water:

Where A=8.10765, B=1750.284, C=235.000, For temperature of water

0 60
log ( mmHg )= A

B
T ( ) +C

log ( mmHg )=8.10765

1750.284
27 +235.000

=26.74 mmHg

Molar volume:

V m=

18.0 ml
0.82 mmol
V m=21.95

ml
mmol

Gas-constant:

R=

( 18.0 ml ) (760 mmHg)

1 mol
( 300.15 K ) (0.82 mmol
)
1000 mmol
R=5.56 x 104

ml mmHg
K mol

VI.
References
1. https://prezi.com/xiezsvt1ti8v/untitled-prezi/
2. file:///C:/Users/christele/Downloads/Experiment%2054%20Molar
%20Volume%20and%20the%20Universal%20Gas%20Constant.pdf