CHE 101:

Gas properties
Introduction
The major phases of matter:
solids
liquids
gases
plasmas.
SOLID LIQUID GAS PLASMA
sub
lim
ati
o n
GAS
Plasma
Plasma is a form of matter in which many of
the electrons wander around freely among the nuclei of
the atoms. Plasma has been called the fourth state of matter,
the other three being solid, liquid and gas.
Normally, the electrons in a solid, liquid, or gaseous sample of
matter stay with the same atomic nucleus.
Plasma can be considered as a partially ionized gas containing
electrons, ions, neutral species, excited particles, and
photons which are generated by the inelastic collisions
between neutral particles and electrons; it obeys the gas laws
and in many aspects behaves like gases.
Examples of forms of plasma:
1. Lightning
2. Aurorae
3. The excited low-pressure gas inside neon signs and
fluorescent lights
4. Solar wind
5. Welding arcs
6. The Earth's ionosphere
7. Stars (including the Sun)
Characteristics of the gas phase
The gas phase of a substance has the following properties:
1. A gas is a collection of particles in constant, rapid, random
motion (sometimes referred to as ‘Brownian’ motion). The
particles in a gas are constantly undergoing collisions with
each other and with the walls of the container, which change
their direction − hence the ‘random’.
If we followed the trajectory of a single particle within a gas, it
might look something like the figure on the right.
2. A gas fills any container it occupies. This is a result of the
second law of thermodynamics i.e. gas expanding to fill a
container is a spontaneous process due to the accompanying
increase in entropy.

3. The effects of intermolecular forces in a gas are generally

fairly small. For many gases over a fairly wide range of
temperatures and pressures, it is a reasonable approximation
to ignore them entirely. This is the basis of the ‘ideal gas’
approximation.
Substances that exist in the gas phase exhibit negligible
intermolecular forces.
4. The physical state of a pure gas (as opposed to a mixture)
may be defined by four physical properties:
p – the pressure of the gas
T – the temperature of the gas
V – the volume of the gas
n – the number of moles of substance present
In fact, if we know any three of these variables, we can use an
equation of state (gas laws) for the gas to determine the
fourth.
Elemental Gases
The group VIII elements (helium [He], neon [Ne], argon [Ar],
krypton [Kr], xenon [Xe] and radon [Rn]) exist as monatomic
gases at standard temperature and pressure (STP) and are
called the noble gases.
The only other elements which exist as gases at STP are
hydrogen (H2), nitrogen (N2), and oxygen (O2 ), plus the two
halogens, fluorine (F2) and chlorine (Cl2).
These gases, when grouped together with the monatomic
noble gases are called “elemental gases.”
Kinetic Theory of Matter
Why does matter exist in three different states? The kinetic
theory of matter provides a basic overview:
1. Matter is made up of constantly moving particles.
2. All particles have energy, but the energy varies depending
on whether the substance is a solid, liquid, or gas; solid
particles have the least amount of energy and gas particles the
most.
3. The temperature of a substance is a measure of the average
kinetic energy of the particles.
4. A change in phase may occur when the energy of the
particles changes.
5. There are spaces between the particles of matter.
6. There are attractive forces between particles and these
become stronger as the particles move closer together. These
attractive forces are known as intermolecular forces. An ideal
gas is assumed to experience no intermolecular forces
whatsoever due to the fact that the particles of an ideal gas
are moving so quickly and are so far apart from one another
that they do not interact at all.
7. Gases behave most ideally at high temperatures and low
p re s s u re s . T h i s i s b e ca u s e u n d e r t h e s e co n d i t i o n s ,
intermolecular forces will be minimized.
Kinetic Molecular Theory of Gases
Scientists use the kinetic molecular theory (KMT) to describe
the behavior of gases. These consists of several postulates:
1. Gases consist of small particles (atoms or molecules) that
move randomly with rapid velocities.
2. Gas particles have little attraction for one another.
Therefore, attractive forces between gas molecules can be
ignored.
3. The distance between the particles is large compared to
their size. Therefore the volume occupied by gas molecules is
small compared to the volume of the gas.
4. Gas particles move in straight lines and collide with each
other and the container frequently. The force of collisions of
the gas particles with the walls of the container causes
pressure.
5. The average kinetic energy of gas molecules is directly
proportional to the absolute temperature (Kelvin).
 Volumes of Gases Versus Volumes of Liquids or Solids
The difference between the volume of a gas and the volume of
the liquid or solid from which it forms can be illustrated with the
following examples.
One gram of liquid oxygen at its boiling point (-183 o C) has a
volume of 0.894 mL. The same amount of O 2 gas at 0 o C and
atmospheric pressure has a volume of 700 mL, which is almost
800 times larger. Similar results are obtained when the volumes of
solids and gases are compared.
One gram of solid CO 2 has a volume of 0.641 mL. At 0 o C and
atmospheric pressure, the same amount of CO2 gas has a volume
of 556 mL, which is more than 850 times as large.
As a general rule, the volume of a liquid or solid increases by a
factor of about 800 when it forms a gas.
Gases and vapours
The difference between a ‘gas’ and a ‘vapour’ is sometimes a
source of confusion. When a gas phase of a substance is
present under conditions when the substance would normally
be a solid or liquid (e.g. below the boiling point of the
substance) then we call this a vapour phase.
This is in contrast to a ‘fixed gas’, which is a gas for which no
liquid or solid phase can exist at the temperature of interest
(e.g. gases such as N2, O2 or He at room temperature).
As an example, at the surface of a liquid there always exists an
equilibrium between the liquid and gas phases.
At a temperature below the boiling point of the substance, the
gas is in fact technically a vapour, and its pressure is known as
the ‘vapour pressure’ of the substance at that temperature.
As the temperature is increased, the vapour pressure also
increases. The temperature at which the vapour pressure of
the substance is equal to the ambient pressure is the boiling
point of the substance.
Transport properties of gases
As the name suggests, a transport property of a substance
describes its ability to transport matter or energy (or some other
property) from one location to another.
Examples include thermal conductivity (the transport of energy
down a temperature gradient), electrical conductivity (transport of
charge down a potential gradient), and diffusion (transport of
matter down a concentration gradient).
Viscosity is another transport property, since it describes the rate
at which linear momentum is transported through a fluid. Kinetic
theory can be used to calculate several transport properties of
gases.