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Molar Volume of a Gas

General Chemistry Laboratory CHEM-A107-025

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Abstract

Magnesium ribbon is being reacted with hydrochloric acid to obtain a molar

volume of hydrogen gas that is given off. This reaction takes place in a gas collection

apparatus to efficiently obtain accurate results. Applying several corrections the standard

molar volume is determined with a slight percent deviation. These errors are due to

discrepancies in the reaction itself. Hydrogen gas may have partially dissolved into the

water and/or not fully reacted with the magnesium.

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Introduction

Molar volume is the volume filled by a single mole of a certain gas. One mole of

any gas contains 6.022 x1023 molecules. According to the ideal gas law, ideally behaving

gases will abide by the following:

PxV=NxRxT (1)

where P is the pressure of the gas (atm), V is the volume of the gas (L), N is the number

of molecules in the gas (mole), R is the gas constant (L atm / mole K), and T is the

temperature of the gas (K). This equation can be employed as a solution to determine the

molecular mass of a gas.

The questions at hand are: What is the molar mass of H2 (g)? How does one find

this? The purpose of this experiment is to determine the molar mass of H2 (g) (which can

be assumed to behave as an ideal gas). To achieve this, one must determine the volume of

hydrogen gas produced from the reaction of certain amounts of magnesium and

hydrochloric acid. The chemical equation is as follows:

Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq)  MgCl2(aq) + H2(g) (2)

The acid (HCl), which provides hydrogen ions, reacts with magnesium to generate

hydrogen gas as demonstrated in the previous equation. This reaction is called an

Oxidation Reduction reaction because the ions are exchanged as well as the electrons in
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the reagents. In this particular reaction oxidation occurs when one reagent looses

electrons and the other is reduced.

How can this be applied to the real world? Many of the materials one handles in

the chemistry lab are gases. Most of the time it is a simple process to measure the

volume of a sample of gas rather than to measure its mass.

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Experimental

First a piece of magnesium ribbon was buffed with a piece of Emory cloth in

order to remove any oxide coating and immediately following was dusted. Using a

Mettler analytical balance, the magnesium ribbon was weighed and its mass recorded

(0.0264g). The magnesium ribbon was then coiled and attached to a short copper wire.

A gas collection apparatus was constructed using a beaker, gas collection tube,

and rubber stopper (Figure A). A beaker was filled about ¾ of the way full with water.

The tube was filled with 5.0 mL of 12 M hydrochloric acid and topped off with deionized

water. The copper wire was inserted into the rubber stopper and fastened securely to the

test tube. The test tube was then inverted and placed into the water being careful not to

allow any air to enter. The hydrochloric acid slowly distributed to the magnesium coil,

reacting thus producing bubbles of hydrogen gas. Five minutes later, allowing the

temperature to regulate and the remaining bubbles to rise, the test tube was attended to.

The water in the tube and the water in the beaker were then brought to the same level by

adjusting the height of the water in the test tube with the water in the beaker. The amount

of hydrogen gas captured in the test tube is observed and recorded (27.3 mL). The

temperature and pressure of the laboratory were then recorded as 294.9 K and 762 mm

Hg respectively.

This regimen is repeated once more with minor adjustments. The equipment was

thoroughly cleansed before beginning the second trial. The amount of magnesium ribbon

was slightly increased (0.028 g). Upon observing the new reaction, the amount of

hydrogen captured in the test tube was again recorded (27.6 mL). The temperature and

pressure in the laboratory remained constant.

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Results and Discussion

The function of this lab is to establish the molar volume of a sample of hydrogen

gas utilizing the Gas Collection Apparatus, examine the mass-volume relationships in a

chemical reaction, and familiarize the relationship between density and molecular mass

of a gas. The temperature and pressure of the laboratory were recorded as 294.9 K and

762 mm Hg respectively. The observed molar volumes of the hydrogen gas were

measured to be 27.3 mL and 27.6 mL respectively. Because the water levels in the test

tube and the beaker were unable to be equaled manually, the following equation was used

to correct the pressure for difference in water levels.

Ptot = barometric pressure + (∆L x 0.0753 torr / cm)

(3)

Where Ptot is total pressure (cm Hg) and ∆L is the difference in the levels of the

water in the test tube and beaker. The adjusted pressures were calculated to be 746.19

mm Hg and 746.56 mm Hg respectively. After the first correction to pressure, a second

correction took place because the gas contains a significant amount of water vapor.

Dalton’s law of partial pressures states that the total pressure of a mixture of gasses is

equal to the sum of partial pressures of the individual components. Thus, this law is

applied to give the partial pressure of the hydrogen gas. The partial pressure of water in

the mixture was found from the following table. These values were then used in the

following equation.

PH2 = Ptot – PH2O

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(4)
Temperature (K) Pressure (mm Hg) Temperature (K) Pressure (mm Hg)
288 12.8 296 21.1
289 13.6 297 22.4
290 14.5 298 23.8
291 15.5 299 25.2
292 16.5 300 26.7
293 17.5 301 28.3
294 18.7 302 30.0
295 19.8 303 31.8
(Table A)

The partial pressures were calculated and recorded as 726.39 mm Hg and 726.76

mm Hg respectively. Next, the measured volume was adjusted to standard pressure and

temperature using the ideal gas law to determine the volume of the hydrogen gas.

PH2 x Vobs Pstd x Vstp

=
Tobs Tstd
(5)

Where P is pressure (mm Hg), V is volume (mL), and T is temperature (K). The

adjusted volumes were calculated and recorded as 24.15 mL and 24.43 mL respectively.

To find the experimental standard molar volumes of hydrogen gas, the previously

calculated data is divided by the number of moles of magnesium ribbon used in each trial

(0.0011 and 0.0012 moles respectively).

Experimental standard = X__

molar volume moles Mg
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(6)
Where X is the adjusted volumes according to equation five. The experimental

standard molar volumes of hydrogen gas were calculated and recorded as 21.955 L and

20.361 L respectively. To determine the density of hydrogen gas at STP, the experimental

results are used in the following equation.

MM__
D=
Vmol
(7)

Where D is density, MM is the molar mass of hydrogen gas, and V is the

experimental standard molar volume of hydrogen gas. The density of hydrogen gas is

determined to be 0.092 g/mL and 0.099 g/mL respectively.

The major source of error for this particular experiment is in the reaction. The

magnesium ribbon may have only partially reacted and the hydrogen gas may have

dissolved in the water. Both of these scenarios yield skewed results, with a lower molar

volume being observed. The original observed volume of the gas would have been lower

effecting all calculations proceeding. Another possible source of error is the equipment

and whether it was used and/or working properly. The percent deviation for the results

can be calculated by the following equation. The theoretical molar volume of an ideal gas

is 22.4 L. The percent deviation was calculated for the two trials and resulted in 1.99%

and 9.10% respectively.

(Theoretical – Experimental)

% Error = Abs
[ Actual Val ue-Theoretical
Experimental Value X 100
Actual Val ue
] (8)
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Conclusions

The purpose of this experiment was to find the molar volume of hydrogen gas by

reacting magnesium and hydrochloric acid. Observations and calculations concluded a

closely accurate result of the molar volume of hydrogen gas. Data also proves that in this

experiment magnesium was the limiting reagent and the hydrochloric acid the excess

reagent.

References

(1) Loyola University Department of Chemistry, General Chemistry Laboratory

ChemA107; New Orleans, LA, 2006; pp 39-42.

(2) Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2006,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.
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Calculations

Sample calculations of pressure, volume, density, and percent deviation:

PxV=NxRxT

Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq)  MgCl2(aq) + H2(g)

Ptot = barometric pressure + (∆L x 0.0753 torr / cm)

= 76.2 mm Hg – (21.5 x 0.07353 mm Hg/cm) = 746.19 mm Hg

PH2 = Ptot – PH2O = 746.19 – 19.8 = 726.39 mm Hg

PH2 x Vobs Pstd x Vstp (726.39)(27.3) (760)(Vstp)

= Tstd = =
Tobs 294.9 273

Vstp = 24.5 mL

Experimental standard = X__ = 24.15 mL = 21.955 L

molar volume moles Mg 0.0011 moles

D= MM_ = 2.016 = 0.092 g/mL

Vmol 21.955

% Error = Abs
[ Actual Val ue- Experimental Value X 100
Actual Val ue
]

= 22.4 – 21.955 x 100 = 1.99%

22.4