INTRODUCTION TO

GASES
Characteristics of Gases
Gases expand to fill any container.
random motion, no attraction
Gases are fluids (like liquids).
no attraction
Gases have very low densities.
no volume = lots of empty space
Characteristics of Gases
 Gases can be compressed.
 no volume = lots of empty space
 Gases undergo diffusion & effusion
Commonly Used Units:
 Volume units and their equivalents:
1 mL = 1 cm3 1 L = 1 dm3 1 m3 = 1000 L
 Pressure units and their equivalents:
1 atm = 760 mm Hg = 76 cm Hg = 760 torr = 101325
Pa = 14.6956 psi
 Temperature units and their equivalents:
0˚C = 273.15 K 0˚C = 32˚F
 Units of Pressure
At Standard Atmospheric Pressure
(SAP)
101.325 kPa (kilopascal)
1 atm (atmosphere) N
kPa  2
760 mm Hg (millimeter Hg) m
760 torr
14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Standard Temperature & Pressure

STP
Standard Temperature & Pressure

0°C 273 K
-OR-
1 atm 101.325 kPa
Temperature: The Kelvin Scale
 Alwaysuse absolute temperature (Kelvin)
when working with gases.

ºC
-273 0 100
K
0 273 373

 C K  273 K = ºC + 273
 Why Use the Kelvin Scale?
Not everything freezes at 0oC, but for ALL substances, motion stops at 0K.

Iteliminates the use of negative values for temperature! Makes

mathematic calculations possible (to calculate the temp. twice warmer
than -5oC we can’t use 2x(-5oC) because we would get -10oC!)
Kelvin Scale vs Celsius Scale
 Converting between Kelvin and
Celsius
 C K  273 K = ºC + 273
a) 0oC =_____K
b) 100oC= _____K
c) 25oC =______K
d) -12oC = ______K
e) -273K = ______oC
f) 23.5K = ______oC
g) 373.2K= ______oC
Short Quiz:
Recall the symbol and common units of the
following properties by completing the table.
Property Symbol Three Common Units
Pressure * *
Temperature * *
Volume * *
Identify the word being described below
by providing the missing letters in the
box.
Mark “√” if the sentence describes gases and “X” if it does
not portray gases.
1. Gases are hard to compress.
2. Gases expand to fully fill their containers.
3. Gases take the shape of the container wherein particles
can move naturally to all parts of the container.
4. Particles of gases move at random directions very fast
travelling in straight-line paths
5. The molecules of the gas are very large compared to the
very short distances between them.
1. Boyle’s Law
 1. Boyle’s Law
 The pressure and volume of a gas are
inversely proportional (as one increases,
the other decreases, and vice versa
 at constant mass & temp

V
Standard Temperature
= 0 ⁰C or 273.15 K
Standard Pressure is
= 1atm
At STP, one mole of gas occupies
22.4 L of volume.
 1. Boyle’s Law
Boyle’s Law leads to the mathematical
expression: P1V1=P2V2
Where:
P1 represents the initial pressure
V1 represents the initial volume,
P2 represents the final pressure
V2 represents the final volume
Sample Problem
A sample of CO2 was confined to a container at
constant temperature. When the pressure applied to
the gas was 2.50 atm, the volume it occupied became
4.50 L.
1.How much pressure must be exerted to decrease
the volume of the gas to 3.00 L?
2.How much pressure must be exerted to decrease
the volume of the gas to 4.00 L?
Exercises
1. Atmospheric pressure on the peak of
Kilimanjaro can be as low as 0.20 atm. If
the volume of an oxygen tank is 10.0L, at
what pressure must the tank be filled so
the gas inside would occupy a volume of
1200 L at this pressure?
2. A weather balloon with a volume of
2000L at a pressure of 96.3 kPa rises to
an altitude of 1000m, where the
atmospheric pressure is measured to be
60.8kPa. Assuming there is no change
in the temperature or the amount of
gas, calculate the weather balloon’s
final volume.
3. A sample of He gas was confined to a
container at constant temperature. The volume
of the gas is measured at 5.00 mL when the
pressure applied is 6.50 atm. Determine the
volume of the He gas if the pressure is reduced
to 2.00 atm.
Additional Problems:
1. 500.0 mL of a gas is collected at 745.0 mmHg.
What will the volume be at standard pressure?
2. A gas exerts a pressure of 3 kPa on the walls of
container 1. When container 1 is emptied into a
10-liter container, the pressure exerted by the
gas increases to 6 kPa. Find the volume of
container 1. Assume that the temperature and
quantity of the gas remain constant.
3. An ideal gas occupying a 2.0 L flask at 760 torr
is allowed to expand to a volume of 6,000 mL.
Calculate the final pressure in atm.
Additional Problems:
4. A sample of gas has an initial pressure of 722
torr and an initial volume of 88.8 mL. Its
volume changes to 0.663 L. What is the new
pressure?
5. Air fills a room with a volume of 5600 L.
Atmospheric pressure is 740 torr. What will be
the pressure if all of the gas is pumped into an
80 L tank? Convert this pressure to kPa.
6. An air compressor has a volume of 110 L.
What volume of gas is pumped into the tank if
the pressure goes from 750 torr to a pressure
BOYLE’S LAW The relationship between
pressure and volume
If the temperature of a gas is constant, when
the pressure is increased, the volume
decreases

T= C P= V=

When the pressure of a gas at a

constant temperature is increased, the
volume of the gas decreases
If the temperature of a gas is
constant, when the pressure is
decreased, the volume increases

T= C P= V=
When the pressure of a gas at a
constant temperature is decreased,
the volume of the gas increases
CHARLES
LAW
states that volume and
temperature, described in kelvin,
are directly proportional if the
number of gas particles and pressure
are constant.

Jacques A.C. Charles

Source: Britannica.com
How Volume Varies With Temperature
If we
heat a gas it expands
(as in a hot air balloon).
Check Your Understanding:
At constant pressure, how are the
temperature and volume of a gas related?
A They are inversely proportional.
B They are directly proportional.
C They are constant.
D They are indirectly proportional.
 At
constant pressure, when the
temperature of a gas is increased,
what
happens to its volume
T =
P =C
V =

When the temperature of a gas at a

constant pressure is increased, its
volume increases
 At constant pressure, when the
temperature of a gas is decreased,
what happens to its volume
T =
P = C
V =

When the temperature of a gas at a

constant pressure is decreased, its
volume decreases
Charles’ Law Equation
Use the formula of Charles’ Law to solve the puzzle.

T1 V1 T2 V2
1 2L 2°C 1L
1°C 2 2°C 2L
1.5°C 4L 3 6L
4°C 1L 1°C 4
2°C 3L 3°C 5
Practice Problems
A balloon is filled to a volume of 2 L at a
temperature of 25.0 °C. The balloon is
then heated to a temperature of 51.0 °C.
Find the new volume of the balloon.
A gas has an initial volume of 3,480 mL
and an initial temperature of −70.0°C.
What must be the temperature of the gas
in Kelvin if its volume is reduced to 2,450
mL?
 You Try:
1. The volume of a gas decreased from 1.4 L
to 1.2 L when the temperature was lowered.
If the initial temperature was 6.0 ⁰C, what
would be the final temperature in ⁰C,
assuming that the pressure did not change?

2. A beach ball is inflated to a volume of 25L of

air at 15oC. During the afternoon, the volume
increases by 1L. What is the new
temperature outside?
 You Try :
A birthday balloon is filled to a volume
of 1.5L of helium gas in an air-
conditioned room at 293K. The
balloon is taken outdoors on a warm
day where the volume expands to
1.55L. Assuming the pressure and the
amount of gas remain constant, what
is the air temperature outside in
Celsius?
3. Intro to Gay-Lussac’s Law
 Imagine you have a balloon inside a container
that ensures it has a fixed volume. You heat
the balloon.

What is happening to the temp of the gas inside

the balloon?

What will happen to the pressure the gas is

exerting on the balloon?
3. Gay-Lussac’s Law
The pressure and absolute
temperature (K) of a gas are
directly proportional (as
temperature rises, so does
pressure)
P
at constant mass & volume

T
3. Gay-Lussac’s Law
Gay-Lussac’sLaw leads to the
mathematical expression:

*Assuming volume remains

constant

Egg in a bottle to show Gay-Lussac's Law:

T & P relationship:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_JnUBk1JPQ
 Example Problem:
The pressure of the oxygen gas inside a canister
with a fixed volume is 5.0atm at 15oC. What is the
pressure of the oxygen gas inside the canister if the
temperature changes to 263K? Assume the
amount of gas remains constant.
 You Try:
The pressure of a gas in a sealed canister
is 350.0kPa at a room temperature of
15oC. The canister is placed in a
refrigerator that drops the temperature of
the gas by 20K. What is the new pressure
in the canister?
4. Combined Gas Law
By combining Boyle’s, Charles’ and Gay
Lussac’s Laws, the following equation is
derived:

P1V1 P2V2
=
T1 T2
 Example Problem:

A gas occupies 7.84 cm3 at 71.8 kPa & 25°C. Find

its volume at STP.
Any Combination Questions 
a) A gas compressed in a container at 5 atm
occupies 473 cm3 at 36°C. Find its volume at
STP.

b) A gas’ pressure is 765 torr at 23°C in a 500

mL bottle. At what temperature will the
pressure be 560 torr in the same bottle.
HOW DID YOU DO?
Part B:
Learning Goals
I will be able to describe
Boyle’s, Charles’ and Gay-
Lussac’s Laws relating T, P
and/or V and be able to
calculate unknown values
using the equations derived
from these laws, as well as
the combined gas law.