Investigation of the Nature of Gases Using PhET Online Simulation

Go to the website: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gas-properties

Part I: The Kinetic-Molecular Theory describes the behavior of matter in terms of particles in motion.
In Part I of this activity, you will be exploring the behavior of gases as described by the Kinetic Molecular
Theory.

Pump the handle one time to dispel gas into the chamber.

1. How many gas particles are in the chamber? (Note: The number can be found in the top right
corner of the screen)
162
2. What is the approximate pressure in the chamber?
.85 atm

Diffusion is the term used to describe the movement of one material through another. It explains why
gas molecules spread out from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration. Think about
how air freshener travels in a room from the spot where it was sprayed (high concentration) to the rest
of the room (low concentration). Answer questions 3 and 4 to better understand why gas molecule
diffuse (spread out) the way that they do.

1. Describe the movement/interaction of the gas particles.

Moving randomly, rapidly, and freely throughout the space.
2. What happens when two gas particles collide with one another?
When two gas particles collide with one another they bounce away from each other.

Increase and decrease the temperature using the Heat Control at the bottom of the screen.

1. What happens to the movement/interaction of the gas particles when heat is added?
The movement of particles begins to get faster, the temperature rises, the pressure rises, they begin
to get out of control and the top pops off causing the particles to be released from the container. .
2. What happens to the movement/interaction of the gas particles when heat is removed?
The pressure goes down, the movement of the particles is slower and almost stops, along with this
the temperature decreases.

The base unit used to measure the amount of a substance is called a mole. Pump the gas a second time.

1. How do the number of gas particles in two pumps compare to one pump?
The first pump let out 54 gas particles, and after the second pump there were 136 gas particles. This
means that the second pump released 82 gas particles. Meaning the second pump released 28 more
particles of gas.
 2. Which contains more moles of gas, one pump or two pumps?
Two pumps of gas contains more moles.
3. Describe the movement/interaction of gas particles after two pumps compared to one pump.
After the second pump there is more pressure, the particles move faster. With only one pump there is
less pressure, more space for the particles to move, the particles move slower.
4. What is the approximate pressure in the chamber?
.62 atm
5. Summarize how an increase in the amount of moles of a gas affects pressure.

When more moles are added to the area the pressure increases because there are more moles in the
area. Also because there is less space causing the particles to collide more often.

Part II: In this part, you will be investigating the relationship between pressure and volume as described
by Boyles Law.

Click Reset. Make sure the icon for none is selected in the top right corner under Constant Parameter.
If it is not, select it. Pump the gas into the chamber one time. After pumping gas into the chamber, click
the icon for temperature in the top right corner under Constant Parameter. This will keep
temperature constant throughout your investigation.

1. What is the approximate pressure in the chamber after one pump?

.95 atm
Click and hold the little man and move him to decrease the volume in the container to approximately
half the original volume.

1. What is the approximate pressure in the chamber after decreasing the volume?
2.00 atm

Click and hold the little man and move him to the left as far as he will move to increase the volume.

1. What is the approximate pressure in the chamber after increasing the volume?
.70 atm
2. Using the information you have just obtained, what is the relationship between pressure and
volume? (Direct or inverse?)
Inverse

Boyles Law summarizes the relationship between pressure and volume in a mathematical formula
listed below. This formula can be used to predict how changes in volume affect pressure and vice versa
when temperature is held constant.

P1V1 = P2V2

P(pressure) = atm, torr, kPa, mmHg

 V(volume)= L, mL (must be the same unit on both sides)
Practice Problems (answer the following using the above formula):

1. A sample of oxygen gas occupies a volume of 250 mL at 740 torr. What volume will it
occupy at 800 torr if the temperature is held constant?

231.25 mL

2. A 2.0 liter container of nitrogen had a pressure of 3.2 atm. What volume would be
necessary to decrease the pressure to 1.0 atm if the temperature is held constant?

6.4 liters

Part III: In this part, you will be investigating the relationship between pressure and volume as
described by Charless Law.

Click Reset. Make sure the icon for none is selected in the top right corner under Constant Parameter.
If it is not, select it. Pump the gas into the chamber one time. After pumping gas into the chamber, click
the icon for pressure in the top right corner under Constant Parameter. This will keep pressure
constant throughout your investigation.

Adjust the heat control at the bottom of the screen until the temperature falls below 100 K.

1. In order to keep the pressure from changing, what happens to the volume of the chamber when
the temperature decreases?
When you decrease the temperature the volume decreases as well.

Adjust the heat control at the bottom of the screen until the temperature is just above 350 K.

1. In order to keep the pressure from changing, what happens to the volume of the chamber when
the temperature increases?
When you increase the temperature the volume increases.
2. Using the information you have just obtained, what is the relationship between volume and
temperature? (Direct or inverse?)
Direct

Charless Law summarizes the relationship between volume and temperature in a mathematical formula
listed below. This formula can be used to predict how changes in temperature affect volume and vice
versa when pressure is held constant.
 V1 = V2

T1 T2
V (volume) = L, mL (must be same on both sides)

T (temperature) = K (must always be in Kelvin (K= 273 + C))

Practice Problems:

1. A sample of nitrogen occupies a volume of 250 mL at 25oC. What volume will it occupy at 95oC if
the pressure of the gas is held constant?
308.72 mL
2. Chlorine gas occupies a volume of 25 mL at 300 K. What is the new temperature of the gas if the
volume changes to 50 mL and the pressure of the gas remains the same?

600 K

Part IV: In this part, you will be investigating the relationship between pressure and temperature as
described by Gay-Lussacs Law.

Click Reset. Make sure the icon for none is selected in the top right corner under Constant Parameter.
If it is not, select it. Pump the gas into the chamber one time. After pumping gas into the chamber, click
the icon for volume in the top right corner under Constant Parameter. This will keep volume constant
throughout your investigation.

Adjust the heat control at the bottom of the screen until the temperature falls below 100 K.

1. When the volume cannot change, what happens to the pressure of the chamber when the
temperature decreases?
The pressure decreases.

Adjust the heat control at the bottom of the screen until the temperature is just above 350 K.

1. When the volume cannot change, what happens to the pressure of the chamber when the
temperature increases?
The pressure increases.
2. Using the information you have just obtained, what is the relationship between pressure and
temperature? (Direct or inverse?)
Direct
Increase the temperature as high as it will go and pump the handle two more times.
 1. Describe what you see happen.
The particles moved more rapidly and eventually the lid of the container popped off releasing some of
the particles from the container.
2. Explain why this happened.
This occurred because the pressure got too high, the temperature was too high as well. Also there
were too many particles in the small space. Therefore the container's lid popped.
Gay-Lussacs Law summarizes the relationship between pressure and temperature in a mathematical
formula listed below. This formula can be used to predict how changes in temperature affect pressure
and vice versa when volume is held constant.

P1 = P2

T1 T2
P (pressure) = atm, torr, mmHg, kPa

T (temperature) = K (must always be in Kelvin (K= 273 + C))

Practice Problems:

1. A gas held in a rigid container (constant volume) has a pressure of 4.0 atm at 100oC. To what
temperature would you have to heat to gas to get the pressure to reach 9.5 atm?
885.88 K
2. When a gas is heated to 90oC, it exerts a pressure of 350 kPa on its 5-liter container. If the
temperature is decreased to 50oC, what is the new pressure exerted on the container?

311.43 kPa