Gas laws

Determining volume of gas

Recall Avogadro’s law: 1 mole of any substance would have a fix number of molecules, that is,
6.022x1023 molecules. One mole of any gas would possess the same number of molecules,
subsequently, equal number of molecules of different gases would occupy the same volume at the
same temperature and pressure.

At 0°C and exactly 100 kPa, the molar volume of all gases is 22.71 L.
At 25°C and exactly 100 kPa, the molar volume of all gases is 24.79 L.

Question 1

a) What mass of gas is present in a 515 mL flask containing carbon dioxide at 25°C and at a
pressure of 100.0 kPa?

b) What volume is needed to store 3.11 g ethane, C2H6, at 100 kPa and 0°C?
c) What mass of methane is in a flask of internal volume of 2.33 L at 0°C and 100.0 kPa
pressure?

d) What volume is needed to store 23.0 g of ammonia, NH3, at 100.0 kPa and 25°C?
Question 2

a) Calculate the volume of carbon dioxide produced at 0°C and 100.0 kPa when 2.5 g sodium
carbonate, Na2CO3, reacts with excess hydrochloric acid.

The balanced equation is: Na2CO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → 2NaCl(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)

b) Lithium hydroxide has been commonly used in spacecraft to absorb carbon dioxide from the
air.
The reaction is: 2LiOH(s) + CO2(g) → Li2CO3(s) + H2O(l)

Calculate the mass of lithium hydroxide needed to absorb 250.0 L carbon dioxide at 25°C and
100.0 kPa pressure.
Question 3

a) Consider the following reaction. (All volumes are measured at 25°C and 100 kPa.)
CH4(g) + 2O2(g) → CO2(g) + 2H2O(g)

When 250 mL of methane reacts, what volume of:

i) O2 reacts?

ii) CO2 is formed?

Fe2O3(s) + 3CO(g) → 2Fe(s) + 3CO2(g)

When 500 mL of carbon monoxide reacts: i what volume of:

i) CO2 forms?

ii) what, if anything, can you say about the volume of iron(III) oxide that reacts?
Question 4

a) Describe the relationship that is described by Boyle’s law and outline how it can be used to
determine how a system changes when either pressure or volume is altered.

b) Using equations to support your answer, describe how:

i) Pressure changes when volume is doubled.

ii) Pressure changes when volume has been reduced to 1/3 the initial volume

iii) Volume changes when pressure has been tripled.

a) A sample of gas originally had a volume of 1.50 L at 20°C and 100 kPa pressure. What
volume would it have at 400 kPa pressure?

b) A 2.3 L sample of ammonia gas at 45°C and 101 kPa was compressed until its pressure was
245 kPa. What is its final volume (still at 45°C)?

c) 500 mL of oxygen gas at 550 kPa is allowed to expand into a volume of 3.60 L at constant
temperature. What is its final pressure?
Question 6

a) Describe the relationship that is described by Charles’s law. Hence describe how it can be
used to determine how a system changes when either temperature or volume has been altered.

b) Using equations to support your answer, describe how:

i) Volume changes when temperature is doubled.

ii) Temperature changes when volume is doubled

iii) Volume changes when temperature is reduced to ¼ the original.

a) A sample of gas at 101 kPa pressure had a volume of 2.5 L at 100°C. What would its volume
be at 0°C at the same pressure?

b) 250 mL of nitrogen gas at 25°C was heated to 155°C at a constant pressure of 101 kPa. What
will be its new volume?

c) A sample of chlorine gas had a volume of 1.25 L at 18°C. What temperature must it be cooled
to for its volume to decrease to 750 mL at constant pressure?
Question 8

a) A sample of gas had a volume of 1.7 L at 25°C and 100 kPa pressure. Calculate the volume it
would occupy at 250°C at the same pressure.

b) To what temperature does the sample need to be cooled to have a volume of 900mL.
Question 9

Consider the following table below:

2
a) Describe the relationship that is shown above. What gas law can potentially describe the trend
in the table above?

5
b) Assess the validity of using Boyle’s law to describe the relationship that is shown above by
graphing the dataset in the table above.
Question 10

a) Describe the relationship described by the combined gas law.

b) Outline the Gay-Lussac’s temperature, pressure law.

c) A certain quantity of gas had a volume of 1.30 L at 101 kPa and 80°C. What pressure is
needed to compress it to 500 mL at 30°C?
d) A 750 mL sample of a gas at 101 kPa and 18°C was compressed and heated until its volume
was 1.67 L and its temperature 92°C. Calculate the pressure needed to do this.

e) 2 11.75 L of helium gas at a pressure of 175 kPa and a temperature of 32°C was cooled to 143
K and allowed to expand until its pressure was 46 kPa. Calculate its final volume.
Question 11

a) A steel capsule of volume 25 mL contains carbon dioxide at a pressure of 5000 kPa. The
contents are allowed to expand into an empty glass vessel of volume 1.00 L. In so doing, the
temperature of the gas decreases from 295 K to 282 K. Calculate the final pressure in the
vessel.

b) 1.0 g of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) was placed in an aluminium foil balloon and allowed to
evaporate. At 100 kPa and 20°C the volume of the balloon was 750 mL. If instead 3.0 g of dry
ice had been placed in the balloon, what would its volume have been at the same temperature
and pressure? Aluminium foil balloons can change their shape, and so change their volume,
without altering their surface area.
Question 12

The gas in a steel cylinder has a pressure of 100 kPa at 17°C.

i) Calculate the pressure of the gas at 90°C. (The change in volume of the flask is negligible.)

ii) To what temperature would the gas need to be cooled for its pressure to fall to 70kPa?
(The change in volume of the flask is negligible.)

iii) A bicycle pump contains 100 mL of air at 17°C and 101 kPa, and this gas is compressed
to 23 mL with a pressure of 475 kPa before the tube valve opens to admit the gas into the
tube. Calculate the temperature of the compressed gas just before the valve opens.
Question 13

a) 4.2 × 10−4 mol carbon dioxide at a pressure of 101.3 kPa occupied 10.0 mL in a syringe at
30°C. If carbon dioxide was then added to the syringe until the volume is 35.7 mL at the same
temperature and pressure, how many moles of carbon dioxide were in the syringe?

b) If a volume of 0.50 L is needed to store 1.4 g ammonia gas at 400 kPa and 17°C, what volume
would be needed to store 3.8 g ammonia at the same temperature and pressure?
Question 14

a) Outline the ideal gas law.

b) Define the universal gas constant.

c) Calculate the volume that 2.5 mol carbon dioxide occupies at 400 kPa pressure and 100°C.

d) Calculate the number of moles of gas needed to fill a 500 mL flask to a pressure of 220 kPa at
21.2°C.
Question 15

a) What volume is needed to store 0.62 mol of gas at a pressure of 3.6 × 105 Pa at a temperature
of 295°C?

b) How many moles of helium are there in a 3.45 L cylinder of the gas at a pressure of 235 kPa
at 35°C?

c) What pressure will 0.050 mol argon exert in a 500 mL flask at 18°C?
Question 16

a) Calculate the volume of hydrogen gas formed at 18°C and 150 kPa pressure when 3.6 g of
zinc is reacted with excess hydrochloric acid.

b) Calculate the volume of 2.05 mol L−1 of sodium hydroxide solution needed to absorb 250 mL
of carbon dioxide at 30°C and 110 kPa pressure.
Question 17

To test Charles’s law a sample of dry nitrogen gas was trapped in a capillary tube of uniform cross-
sectional area tied to a small ruler as shown in figure below. This assembly was then immersed in a
series of liquids at different temperatures and the length of the gas sample measured.

Use a numerical method and a graphical method to assess whether the following system obeys
Charles’s Law.
Question 18

A chemist measured the pressure generated at 80°C in a cylinder of fixed volume by different masses
of different gases. The results are given in the table. Demonstrate graphically that these results are in
accord with the ideal gas law.
Question 19

Avogadro’s law can be used to show that all gases have the same molar volume at constant
temperature and pressure. To verify this statement a group of students performed the following
experiment:

They used a silicone adhesive to seal two glass tubes into an empty drink can as shown in the figure
below. They filled the can with helium gas by connecting a helium cylinder to tube A and flushing out
the can (gas leaves via tube B), then by sealing off the two tubes with pieces of Blu Tack. This leaves
the can containing the gas being used (helium in the first instance) at atmospheric pressure. They
weighed the can plus gas. Then they repeated the procedure with several other gases, being careful to
use the same pieces of Blu Tack each time and not lose any of it. Their results are shown in the table.

They then measured the mass of the can (without any gas in it, not even air) by first measuring the
volume of water needed to fill the can and the tubes (for accuracy using a burette filled several times),
then weighing the can filled with water (including the Blu Tack plugs).

Volume of water to fill the can = 307.2 mL

Mass of can plus water and plugs = 388.0 g

Temperature of water = 20.2°C

Density of water at 20.2°C = 0.998 g mL−1

b) Combine the mass of the empty can (with Blu Tack plugs) with the results in the table to
calculate the number of moles of each gas in the can (knowing the formulae of the gases
used); hence calculate the molar volume of each gas. Comment on whether the results
confirm the statement that all gases have the same molar volume (at constant temperature and
pressure), bearing in mind the accuracy of the measurements particularly for the lighter gases.
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