Charles’ Law (V, T (n,P constant))

French scientists, Jacques Charles and Joseph Gay-Lussac, 19th

century. One simple experiment they performed was as
follows (what is constant?)

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 Charles’ Law
• Charles and Gay-Lussac found that, at
constant pressure, the volume of a gas
expands when heated and contracts when
cooled
• A plot of volume occupied by a given sample
of gas at various temperatures gives a
straight line so long as the amount n and
pressure remains constant

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Charles’ Law

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 Charles’ Law
• When the straight lines are extrapolated backward,
they all intersect at a common point, - 273.15 OC

• This temperature is called absolute zero temp, it is

theoretically the lowest attainable temperature. At
this temperature, the gas has a zero volume (is this
realistic?)
• This linear relationship of V vs T holds for most
gases over a wide range of temperatures
• Mathematically we can write:
V α T (at fixed pressure for a fixed amount of gas)
therefore, V = K2T or V/T = K2 (3)
• Where K2 is the proportionality constant. 4
 Charles’ Law
• Or can be stated as;
‘ the volume of a fixed amount of gas
maintained at constant pressure is directly
proportional to the absolute temperature of
the gas’

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▪ The Kelvin temperature scale can be obtained by
setting the absolute zero temp value (-273.15 oC) to be equal
to 0K thus shifting the 0oC by 273.15 units. Therefore,
T (Kelvin scale) = T0C- absolute T
= T0C- -273.15
= T0C+273.15

Celcius -273 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 400

o
C

Kelvin 0 73 173 273 373 473 573 673

K

• The dependence of gas volume on the absolute temperature

means that the KELVIN SCALE MUST BE USED IN ALL GAS LAW
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CALCULATIONS
Other Relationships based on Boyles and Charles Laws
i) What is the relationship between P and T if V is fixed
The pressure in a car wheel increases with distance, Why?

The volume of the car wheel and the amount of air inside is
fixed. As a car moves the frictional heating between the car
tyre and the road raises the temperature of the enclosed air.
However, V is fixed, therefore P increases

∴ P𝛂 T (V and n fixed) [ Amontons Law]

P/T = constant

i) The Combined gas Law (combination of

Charles/Boyle)
V𝛂1/P (T, n fixed) V𝛂 T/P or PV/T = constant 7
 Class question
1. A quantity of gas at 10oC and 1 atm pressure occupied a
volume of 200cm3. What volume will it occupy at -20 OC if
pressure remains constant
(P,n constant)
We have seen;
Vf/Tf = K2 and Vi/Ti = K2

Therefore, Vf/Tf = K2 = Vi/Ti

Initial conditions (Vi, Final Conditions (Vf,
T i) T f)
Vi = 200cm3 Vf = ?
Ti = (10+273)K =283 Tf = (-20 + 273) =
K 253
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 Class question
2. A sample of hydrogen gas occupies 3.0 L at 125oC. Calculate the
temperature at which the gas will occupy 1.5 L if the pressure
remains constant

Initial conditions (Vi,Ti) Final conditions (Vf, Tf)

Vi = 3.0 L Vf = 1.5 L
Ti = 125 + 273 =398K Tf = ?K

Tf=VfxTi/Vi
=(1.5/3) X 398 K
= 199K

N.B Deviation of Charles Law occurs at high pressures and low

temperatures. Why?
Avogadro’s Law (V,n (P,T constant)
• In 1811, Amedeo Avogadro studied the
relationship between the volume occupied by
a gas and the number of moles as illustrated
by the following figure.

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Exp 1

P & T const.

V & n variables 1V CO2

0.01 mol Dry Ice

Exp 2

2V CO2
0.02 mol Dry Ice 11
• After repeating this experiment with several substances, he
concluded that; equal moles of gases occupied equal
volumes at constant P,T

The volume occupied by a gas is directly proportional to the

number of moles of gas present
• V α n or V=k3n (at constant temperature and
pressure).....(eqn 4)

• Equation 4 is a mathematical expression of Avogadro’s law,

which states:
‘at constant pressure and temperature, the volume of a gas
is directly proportional to the number of moles of the gas
present’

• SAME behaviour is observed for different gases i.e equal

moles of substances occupy equal volume

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 Conclusions from Avogadro’s observation
i) Equal moles of gases occupy equal volumes ( constant
(T,P)

ii) Equal volumes of different gases will have same no. of

moles
iii) Therefore 1 mole of different gases should occupy equal
volume

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▪ The volume occupied by I mole of any gas is called the molar
Gas volume and can be calculated as follows; V =mass /density
• GAS (mass equivalent to • DENSITY (g/cm3) • MOLAR GAS VOLUME (L)
one mole =MOLAR MASS • (STP)
in g)
Ammonia (17.0277) 0.7699 x10-3 22.116

Argon (39.948) 1.7837 x10-3 22.396

Nitrogen (28.0134) 1.2506x10-3 22.399

Carbon dioxide (44.0095) 1.977x10-3 22.260

• At room temperature and pressure it is 24 dm3 at

RTP ( 25oC, 1 atm pressure) conditions and 22.4 dm3
at STP conditions
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 Avogadro’s Law
Avogadro published a hypothesis that states that,
at the same temperature and pressure , equal
volumes of different gases contain the same
number of moles and therefore the same number
of molecules or atoms if the gas is mono-atomic

• Therefore, 1 mole of different gases should

occupy equal volume and also contain the same
number of particles, the Avogadro’s number of
particles = 6.022 × 1023
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ii) A sample of hydrogen gas at 0oC and 700 mmHg
has a volume of 4.00 L. What would be the volume if
the pressure was changed to 760mmHg at the same
temperature?

iii) A quantity of gas at 10oC and 1 atm pressure

occupied a volume of 200cm3. What volume will it
occupy at - 20oC at constant pressure.

iv) At a particular temperature and pressure, 15.0g of

CO2 occupies 7.16L. What is the volume occupied by
12.0g of CH4 at the same temperature and pressure
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 P V n T
X 7.16 L 15.0g CO2 X
= 0.34 mol
CO2

X ? 12g CH4
= 0.75 mol x
CH4

0.34 mol CO2 = 7.16 L

So 0.34 mol CH4 = 7.16 L ( avogadro’s Law)

0.75 mol methane = 0.75/0.34 X 7.16 = 15.79 L

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• Equal moles=equal volumes= equal number of
particles

• As a consequence of Avogadro’s Law findings, Gay

Lussacs concluded that when two gases react , their
volumes bare a simple ratio to one another and to the
volume of the products if gaseous.
• 2NO + O2 = 2NO2
2mol 1mol 2mol
At the same temperature and pressure, the volumes of
the gases are directly proportional to the moles present
• 2NO + O2 = 2NO2
Molar ratio 2mol 1mol 2mol
molecular ratio 2molecu 1 molec 2 molecu
vol ratio 2vol 1vol 2 vol 18
The Ideal Gas Equation

PV = nRT

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 Deriving the equation of state
each of the three gas laws can be written in terms of V;
•

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• Ideal gas, P-V-T behaviour can be completely accounted by
equation, no forces of attraction/repulsion, occupy negligible
volume
• R in the ideal gas equation is the universal gas constant. The
universal gas constant is a ratio of the pressure and volume of the
gas for 1 mole at standard temperature (STP). This ratio is the
same for all gases

Variable Value
P 1atm
V 22.414 L
T 273.15K
n 1mol

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• Depending on the units of pressure, R can have
different values
• P= 760 mmHg
• P= 101325 pa
Pressure units R (universal gas constant) Units

Atmospheres (atm) 0.082057 L. atm/(K.mol)

Torr 62.37 L. Torr/(K.mol)

Pascal (Pa) 8.31441 J/(K.mol)

• When using R always check the units of pressure

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 Using the Ideal Gas Equation
1. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is a colourless,
odorless, very unreactive gas. Calculate the
pressure (in atm) exerted by 1.82 moles of
the gas in a steel vessel of volume 5.43 L at
69.5 degrees celsius.

P V n T

? 5.43 L 1.82 69.5+ 273.15

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 Using the Ideal Gas Equation

2. How many grams of Oxygen are there in a 50.0 L tank at 21OC

when the oxygen pressure is 15.0 atm

P V n T
15 50 21+273.15

3. Nitrogen is heated to 500 K in a vessel of constant volume.

If it enters at a pressure of 100 atm and a temperature of
300 K, what pressure would it exert at the working
temperature if it behaved as perfect gas.
4. An inflated Helium balloon with a volume of 0.55 L at sea
level (1 atm) is allowed to rise to a height of 6.5 km, where
the pressure is about 0.40 atm. Assuming that the
temperature remains constant, what is the final volume of
the balloon. 24
 Density Calculations
•

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• Equation shows that the density of a gas increases with
pressure at Constant temperature
• The density decrease as the temperature is raised as
pressure remains constant. This means that as long as the
pressure is kept constant, the gas expands as it is heated 27
 Density Calculations
• This method is very useful for the
determination of density and molar masses of
volatile compounds. Volatile compounds are
those with low boiling temperatures and
vapourize easily

• Calculate the density of Ammonia in g/L at

700 mmHg and 55OC
• Calculate the density of carbon dioxide gas at
1.5 atm and 30oC
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