Ideal Gas Law

The equality for the four variables involved

in Boyle’s Law, Charles’ Law, Gay-Lussac’s
Law and Avogadro’s law can be written

PV = nRT

R = ideal gas constant

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 1
 Ideal Gases

 Behave as described by the ideal gas equation;

no real gas is actually ideal
 Within a few %, ideal gas equation describes
most real gases at room temperature and
pressures of 1 atm or less
 In real gases, particles attract each other
reducing the pressure
 Real gases behave more like ideal gases as
pressure approaches zero.
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 2
 PV = nRT

R is known as the universal gas constant

Using STP conditions

P V
R = PV = (1.00 atm)(22.4 L)
nT (1mol) (273K)
n T
= 0.0821 L-atm
mol-K
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 3
 Learning Check G15

What is the value of R when the STP value

for P is 760 mmHg?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 4

 Solution G15

What is the value of R when the STP value

for P is 760 mmHg?

R = PV = (760 mm Hg) (22.4 L)

nT (1mol) (273K)

= 62.4 L-mm Hg
mol-K
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 5
 Learning Check G16

Dinitrogen monoxide (N2O), laughing gas,

is used by dentists as an anesthetic. If 2.86
mol of gas occupies a 20.0 L tank at 23°C,
what is the pressure (mmHg) in the tank in
the dentist office?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 6

 Solution G16

Set up data for 3 of the 4 gas variables

Adjust to match the units of R
V = 20.0 L 20.0 L
T = 23°C + 273 296 K
n = 2.86 mol2.86 mol
P = ? ?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 7

Rearrange ideal gas law for unknown P

P = nRT
V

Substitute values of n, R, T and V and

solve for P

P = (2.86 mol)(62.4L-mmHg)(296 K)
(20.0 L) (K-mol)

= 2.64 x 103 mm Hg
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 8
 Learning Check G17

A 5.0 L cylinder contains oxygen gas

at 20.0°C and 735 mm Hg. How many
grams of oxygen are in the cylinder?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 9

 Solution G17

Solve ideal gas equation for n (moles)

n = PV
RT

= (735 mmHg)(5.0 L)(mol K)

(62.4 mmHg L)(293 K)

= 0. 20 mol O2 x 32.0 g O2 = 6.4 g O2

1 mol O2
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 10
 Molar Mass of a gas

What is the molar mass of a gas if 0.250 g of

the gas occupy 215 mL at 0.813 atm and
30.0°C?

n = PV = (0.813 atm) (0.215 L) = 0.00703 mol

RT (0.0821 L-atm/molK) (303K)

Molar mass = g = 0.250 g = 35.6 g/mol

mol 0.00703 mol
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 11
 Density of a Gas

Calculate the density in g/L of O2 gas at STP.

From STP, we know the P and T.

P = 1.00 atm T = 273 K

Rearrange the ideal gas equation for moles/L

PV = nRT PV = nRT P = n
RTV RTV RT V

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 12

Substitute
(1.00 atm ) mol-K = 0.0446 mol O2/L
(0.0821 L-atm) (273 K)

Change moles/L to g/L

0.0446 mol O2 x 32.0 g O2 = 1.43 g/L

1L 1 mol O2

Therefore the density of O2 gas at STP is

1.43 grams per liter
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 13
 Formulas of Gases

A gas has a % composition by mass of

85.7% carbon and 14.3% hydrogen. At
STP the density of the gas is 2.50 g/L.
What is the molecular formula of the
gas?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 14

 Formulas of Gases
Calculate Empirical formula

85.7 g C x 1 mol C = 7.14 mol C/7.14 = 1 C

12.0 g C

14.3 g H x 1 mol H = 14.3 mol H/ 7.14 = 2 H

1.0 g H

Empirical formula = CH2

EF mass = 12.0 + 2(1.0) = 14.0 g/EF
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 15
Using STP and density ( 1 L = 2.50 g)

2.50 g x 22.4 L = 56.0 g/mol

1L 1 mol

n = EF/ mol = 56.0 g/mol = 4

14.0 g/EF

molecular formula
CH2 x 4 = C4 H 8
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 16
 Gases in Chemical Equations
On December 1, 1783, Charles used 1.00 x 10 3 lb of
iron filings to make the first ascent in a balloon filled
with hydrogen

Fe(s) + H2SO4(aq)  FeSO4(aq) + H2(g)

At STP, how many liters of hydrogen
gas were generated?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 17

 Solution
lb Fe  g Fe  mol Fe  mol H2  L H2

1.00 x 103 lb x 453.6 g x 1 mol Fe x 1 mol H2

1 lb 55.9 g 1 mol Fe
x 22.4 L H2 = 1.82 x 105 L H2
1 mol H2

Charles generated 182,000 L of hydrogen to fill his air

balloon.
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 18
 Learning Check G18

How many L of O2 are need to react 28.0 g

NH3 at 24°C and 0.950 atm?

4 NH3(g) + 5 O2(g) 4 NO(g) + 6 H2O(g)

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 19

 Solution G18

Find mole of O2
28.0 g NH3 x 1 mol NH3 x 5 mol O2
17.0 g NH3 4 mol NH3

= 2.06 mol O2

V = nRT = (2.06 mol)(0.0821)(297K) = 52.9 L

P 0.950 atm
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 20
 Summary of Conversions with
Gases
Volume A Volume B

Grams A Moles A Moles B Grams B

Atoms or Atoms or
molecules A molecules B
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 21
Daltons’ Law of Partial Pressures

The % of gases in air Partial pressure (STP)

78.08% N2 593.4 mmHg

20.95% O2 159.2 mmHg

0.94% Ar 7.1 mmHg
0.03% CO2 0.2 mmHg

PAIR = PN + PO + PAr + PCO = 760 mmHg

2 2 2

Total Pressure 760 mm Hg

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 22

 Learning Check G19

A.If the atmospheric pressure today is 745

mm Hg, what is the partial pressure (mm
Hg) of O2 in the air?
1) 35.6 2) 156 3) 760

B. At an atmospheric pressure of 714, what is

the partial pressure (mm Hg) N2 in the air?
1) 557 2) 9.14 3) 0.109
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 23
 Solution G19

A.If the atmospheric pressure today is 745

mm Hg, what is the partial pressure (mm
Hg) of O2 in the air?
2) 156

B. At an atmospheric pressure of 714, what is

the partial pressure (mm Hg) N2 in the air?
1) 557
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 24
 Partial Pressure
Partial Pressure
Pressure each gas in a mixture would exert
if it were the only gas in the container

Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures

The total pressure exerted by a gas mixture
is the sum of the partial pressures of the
gases in that mixture.
P T = P1 + P + P + .....
2 PLUS Timberlake
Lecture 3 2000 25
 Partial Pressures

The total pressure of a gas mixture depends

on the total number of gas particles, not on
the types of particles.
STP
P = 1.00 atm P = 1.00 atm

0.50 mol O2
1.0 mol He + 0.20 mol He
+ 0.30 mol N2
Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 26
 Health Note

When a scuba diver is several hundred feet

under water, the high pressures cause N2 from
the tank air to dissolve in the blood. If the diver
rises too fast, the dissolved N2 will form bubbles
in the blood, a dangerous and painful condition
called "the bends". Helium, which is inert, less
dense, and does not dissolve in the blood, is
mixed with O2 in scuba tanks used for deep
descents. Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 27
 Learning Check G20

A 5.00 L scuba tank contains 1.05 mole of

O2 and 0.418 mole He at 25°C. What is the
partial pressure of each gas, and what is
the total pressure in the tank?

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 28

 Solution G20

P = nRT PT = PO + PHe
V 2

PT = 1.47 mol x 0.0821 L-atm x 298 K

5.00 L (K mol)
= 7.19 atm

Lecture PLUS Timberlake 2000 29