Boyle’s Law

Boyle's Law gives the relationship between pressure and volume if temperature
and amount are held constant. In words, Boyle found these to be true:

1) If the volume of a container is increased, the pressure decreases.

2) If the volume of a container is decreased, the pressure increases.

What makes them true? We can make brief reference to the ideas of kinetic-
molecular theory (KMT), which Boyle did not have access to in the 1600's. KMT
was developed in its modern form about 200 years after Boyle.

1) Suppose the volume is increased. This means gas molecules have farther to go
and they will impact the container walls less often per unit time. This means the
gas pressure will be less because there are less molecule impacts per unit time.

2) If the volume is decreased, the gas molecules have a shorter distance to go,
thus striking the walls more often per unit time. This results in pressure being
increased because there are more molecule impacts per unit time.

The mathematical form of Boyle's Law is:

PV = k

This means that the pressure-volume product will always be the same value if the
temperature and amount remain constant. This relationship was what Boyle
discovered. By the way, what Boyle made is referred to as an empirical discovery.
His data told him what was true (PV = k), but he had no idea why it was true.

Boyle's Law is an inverse mathematical relationship. As one quantity (P or V)

increases in its value, the other value (P or V) decreases. The constant k does not
change in value.

A student might occasionally ask "What is the value for k?"

Suppose P1 and V1 are a pressure-volume pair of data at the start of an

experiment. In other words, some container of gas is created and the volume and
pressure of that container is measured. Keep in mind that the amount of gas and
the temperature DOES NOT CHANGE. The ChemTeam does not care what the
exact numbers are, just that there are two numbers. When you multiply P and V
together, you get a number that is called k. We don't care what the exact value is.

Now, if the volume is changed to a new value called V2, then the pressure will
spontaneously change to P2. It will do so because the PV product must always
equal k. The PV product CANNOT just change to any old value, it MUST go to k.
(If the temperature and amount remain the same.)

Of course, you now want to ask "Why does it have to stay at k?" The ChemTeam
believes it is best right now to ignore that question even though it is a perfectly
valid one. The answer lies in the area of kinetic-molecular theory, a topic for
another day.

So we know this:

P1V1 = k

And we know that the second data pair equals the same constant:

P2V2 = k

Since k = k, we can create this equality:

P1V1 = P2V2

The equation just above will be very helpful in solving Boyle's Law problems.

By the way, PV = k is Boyle's Law, not the one just above. The one above is just an
equation derived from Boyle's Law.

Example #1: 2.00 L of a gas is at 740.0 mmHg pressure. What is its volume at
standard pressure?

Solution:

1) Use this equation:

P1V1 = P2V2

2) Insert values:

(740.0 mmHg) (2.00 L) = (760.0 mmHg) (x)

3) Multiply the left side and divide (by 760.0 mmHg) to solve for x.

x = 1.95 L (to three significant figures)

Note that the units of mmHg will cancel. x is a symbol for an unknown and,
technically, does not carry units. So do not write x L for x liters. Just keep
checking to see you are using the proper equation and you have all the right
values and units. Don't put a unit on the unknown.

Also, you need to know what the standard value are for pressure (and for
temperature).

Example #2: 5.00 L of a gas is at 1.08 atm. What pressure is obtained when the
volume is 10.0 L?

Solution:

Use the same technique as in Example #1:

(1.08 atm) (5.00 L) = (x) (10.0 L)

x = 0.540 L (to three sig figs)

Example #3: 9.48 L of a gas was at an unknown pressure. However, at standard

pressure, its volume was measured to be 8.00 L. What was the unknown
pressure?

Solution:

Notice the units of the pressure were not specified, so any can be used. If this
were a test question, you might want to inquire of the teacher as to a possible
omission of desired units. Let's use kPa since the other two pressure units were
used above.

Once again, insert into P1V1 = P2V2 for the solution.

(x) (9.48 L) = (101.325 kPa) (8.00 L)

x = 85.5 kPa

Hopefully you can see that Boyle's Law problems all use basically the same
solution technique. It's just a question of where the x is located. Two problems
will arise during the gas laws unit in your classroom:
 1. How to match a given problem with what law it is, so you can solve it.
2. Watching out for questions worded in a slightly confusing manner or with
unnecessary information. Teachers like to do these sorts of things, if you
haven't yet noticed.

Here's an example of asking a question in a confusing manner: give the pressure

in the problem in one unit (say, mmHg) but ask for the answer to be in a different
unit (say, atm.). You have to either (a) convert the mmHg to atm before the
calculation or (b) convert the mmHg answer to atm after the calculation. Believe
me, a lot of students get trapped by this technique.

A variant of the above is to give two pressure values in the problem (thus making
it be volume that you are calculating). However, the two different pressures are
provided using different units (say, atm and mmHg). You MUST convert one unit
to the other unit (either conversion direction is OK) before doing the calculation.

Personally, I think this attempt to make the problems confusing stems from the
fact that, more or less, all Boyle's Law problems are the same. So, people have
come up with some extra spice to season the sauce, so to speak.

Example #4: If we have 6.00 cm3 of gas at a pressure of 10.0 N/cm2 and we
increase the pressure to 20.0 N/cm2, what volume will the gas occupy?

Solution:

Newtons per square centimeter is not a unit you often see in chemistry, but it
doesn't matter what the unit is, just a long as both P1 and P2 are expressed using
the same unit.

(10.0) (6.00) = (20.0) (x)

x = 3.00 cm3

Notice that, when the pressure was doubled, the volume was cut in half. Also, be
careful. Your teacher may want you to include the units in the problem, like this:

(10.0 N/cm2) (6.00 cm3) = (20.0 N/cm2) (x)

Example #5: What pressure is required to compress 196.0 liters of air at 1.00
atmosphere into a cylinder whose volume is 26.0 liters?
Solution:

(1.00 atm) (196.0 L) = (x) (26.0 L)

x = 7.54 atm (to three sig figs)

Example #6: An evacuated flask A, which has a volume of 30 mL, is attached to

a second flask B containing an ideal gas at a pressure of 5 atm. When the two
flasks are connected the pressure in the system drops to 2 atm. Calculate the
volume of flask B.

Solution:

1) Here's the set-up to solve the problem:

P1V1 = P2V2

(5 atm) (x) = (2 atm) (x + 30)

2) Left side of equation:

Flask B has all the pressure since A is evacuated. We do not know the volume of
Flask B. That's this part of the above equation:

(5 atm) (x)

3) Right side of equation:

The two flasks are now connected and the total volume goes up by 30 mL and the
total pressure drops to 2 atm. That's this part:

(2 atm) (x + 30)

4) We solve:

5x = 2x + 60

3x = 60

x = 20 mL

5) Does it work?
(5 atm) (20 mL) = (2 atm) (50 mL)

Example #7: Three bulbs are connected by tubing, and the tubing is evacuated.
The volume of the tubing is 39.0 mL. The first bulb has a volume of 56.0 mL and
contains 5.92 atm of argon, the second bulb has a volume of 250.0 mL and
contains 1.28 atm of neon, and the third bulb has a volume of 37.0 mL and
contains 8.50 atm of hydrogen. If the stopcocks (valves) that isolate all three
bulbs are opened, what is the final pressure of the whole system in atm?

Solution:

1) Get the total volume of the system:

39.0 + 56.0 + 250.0 + 37.0 = 382 mL

2) You will use Boyle's Law three times, then add up the three results for the final
pressure.

argon ---> (5.92 atm) (56.0 mL) = (x) (382.0 mL) ---> x = 0.8678534 atm
neon ---> (1.28 atm) (250.0 mL) = (y) (382.0 mL) ---> y = 0.8376963 atm
hydrogen ---> (8.50 atm) (37.0 mL) = (z) (382.0 mL) ---> z = 0.8232984 atm

3) Add 'em up and round off:

2.5288481 atm

2.53 atm (to three sig figs)

4) You could also do this:

P1V1 + P2V2 + P3V3 = P4V4

And do the left-hand side on the calculator, then divide by V4 (which is the 382.0
value)

Example #8: In order to measure the volume of a piece of apparatus, a chemist

filled a 750. mL flask with 46.65 kPa pressure of gas, then expanded it into the
apparatus. The final pressure was 14.95 kPa. Calculate the total volume occupied
by the gas.

Solution:
P1 = 46.65 kPa
V1 = 750. mL

P2 = 14.95 kPa
V2 = x + 750. mL

(46.65 kPa) (750. mL) = (14.95 kPa) (x + 750. mL)

34987.5 = 14.95x + 11212.5

14.95x = 23775

x = 1590 mL (to three sig figs)

Example #9: Boyle's Law deals with the relationship between two of the
variables (of four) that describe gas behavior. Which two variables are held
constant in Boyle's Law problems?

(a) pressure/moles
(b) temperature/volume
(c) pressure/volume
(d) temperature/moles
(e) volume/moles

Solution:

The correct answer is (d). Boyle's Law deals with the relationship between
pressure and volume (two of the four variables). For Boyle's Law to be valid, the
other two variables must be held constant. Those two variables are temperature
and amount of gas (the last one being measured in moles).

Charles’s Law

Charles' law is a special case of the ideal gas law in which the pressure of a gas is
constant. Charles' law states that volume is proportional to the absolute
temperature of a gas at constant pressure. Doubling the temperature of gas
doubles its volume, so long as the pressure and quantity of the gas are
unchanged. This example problemshows how to use Charles' law to solve a gas
law problem.

Charles' Law Example Problem

A 600 mL sample of nitrogen is heated from 27 °C to 77 °C at constant pressure.

What is the final volume?

Solution:

The first step to solving gas law problems should be converting all
temperatures to absolute temperatures. This is the most common place mistakes
are made in this type of homework problem.

T K = 273 + °C
Ti = initial temperature = 27 °C
Ti K = 273 + 27
Ti K = 300 K

Tf = final temperature = 77 °C
Tf K = 273 + 77
Tf K = 350 K

The next step is to use Charles' law to find the final volume. Charles' law is
expressed as:

Vi/Ti = Vf/Tf

where
Vi and Ti is the initial volume and temperature
Vf and Tf is the final volume and temperature

Solve the equation for Vf:

Vf = ViTf/Ti

Enter the known values and solve for Vf.

Vf = (600 mL)(350 K)/(300 K)

Vf = 700 mL
Answer:

The final volume after heating will be 700 mL.

Charles Law Sample Problem 1:
A container contains 5 L of nitrogen gas at 25° C. What will be its volume if the temperature increases
by 35° C keeping the pressure constant?
Solution:
V1 = 5 L V2 = ?
T1 = (25°C + 273) K = 298 K T2 = (25°C + 35°C + 273) K = 333 K
V1/T1 = V2/T2
Substituting the values,
5 L / 298 K = V2 / 333 K
V2 = 5 L x 333 K / 298 K
V2 = 5.59 L (Answer)

Charles Law Sample Problem 2:

By what factor the temperature has to be raised to double the volume of a given gas balloon at
constant pressure?
Solution:
Let's say the initial Volume is V and the initial temperature is T
V1 = V and T1 = T
So, when volume is doubled,
V2 = 2V and T2 = T + x , where x is the rise in temperature
According to Charles Law, at constant pressure
V 1 / T 1 = V 2 / T2
=> V / T = 2V / (T + x)
By rearranging,
(T + x) / T = 2V / V = 2
=> T + x = 2T
=> x = T
Now, T2 = T + x = T + T = 2T
Therefore, T2 / T1 = 2T / T = 2
Thus, at constant pressure, to double the volume of a gas the temperature has to be raised by two
times.

Charles Law Sample Problem 3:

A sample of gas occupies 3 L at 300 K. What volume will it occupy at 200 K?
Solution:
V1 = 3 L V2 = ?
T1 = 300 K T2 = 200 K
Now, according to Charles law
V1/T1 = V2/T2
Substituting the values,
3 L / 300 K = V2 / 200 K
V2 = 3 L x 200 K / 300 K
V2 = 2 L (Answer)

Charles Law Sample Problem 4:

A sample of oxygen occupies a volume of 1.6 L at 91°C. What will be the temperature when the volume
of oxygen is reduced to 1.2 L?
Solution:
V1 = 1.6 L V2 = 1.2 L
T1 = (91°C + 273) K = 364 K T2 = ?
Now, according to Charles law
V1/T1 = V2/T2
Substituting the values,
1.6 L / 364 K = 1.2 L / T2
T2 = 1.2 L x 364 K / 1.6 L
T2 = 273 K (Answer)

SAMPLE PROBLEMS:
1. A sample of hydrogen has an initial temperature of 50°C. When the temperature is lowered to 10°C,
the volume of hydrogen becomes 2 L. What was the initial volume of the hydrogen?
2. 284 ml of chlorine at 298K will occupy what volume at 248K while the pressure remains constant?
3. A sample of helium has a volume of 500 mL at a temperature of 18°C. When the temperature is
increased to 23°C, what is
the volume of the helium?

Gay-Lussac’s Law

Gay-Lussac's gas law is a special case of the ideal gas law where the volume of the
gas is held constant. When the volume is held constant, the pressure exerted by a
gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of the gas. These example
problems use Gay-Lussac's law to find the pressure of gas in a heated container as
well as the temperature you would need to change the pressure of gas in a
container.

Gay-Lussac's Law Example

A 20-liter cylinder contains 6 atmospheres (atm) of gas at 27 C. What would the

pressure of the gas be if the gas was heated to 77 C?

To solve the problem, just work through the following steps:

The cylinder's volume remains unchanged while the gas is heated so Gay-
Lussac's gas law applies. Gay-Lussac's gas law can be expressed as:

Pi/Ti = Pf/Tf

where
Pi and Ti are the initial pressure and absolute temperatures
Pf and Tf are the final pressure and absolute temperature
First, convert the temperatures to absolute temperatures.

Ti = 27 C = 27 + 273 K = 300 K
Tf = 77 C = 77 + 273 K = 350 K

Use these values in Gay-Lussac's equation and solve for Pf.

Pf = PiTf/Ti
Pf = (6 atm)(350K)/(300 K)
Pf = 7 atm

The answer you derive would be:

The pressure will increase to 7 atm after heating the gas from 27 C to 77 C.

Another Example

See if you understand the concept by solving another problem: Find the
temperature in Celsius needed to change the pressure of 10.0 liters of a gas that
has a pressure of 97.0 kPa at 25 C to standard pressure.

Standard pressure is 101.325 kPa.

First, convert 25 C to Kelvin (298K). Remember that the Kelvin temperature

scale is an absolute temperature scale based on the definition that the volume of
a gas at constant (low) pressure is directly proportional to the temperature and
that 100 degrees separate the freezing and boiling points of water.

Insert the numbers into the equation to get:

97.0 kPa / 298 K = 101.325 kPa / x

solving for x:

x = (101.325 kPa)(298 K)/(97.0 kPa)

x = 311.3 K

Subtract 273 to get the answer in Celsius.

x = 38.3 C
Problem #1: A 30.0 L sample of nitrogen inside a rigid, metal container at 20.0 °C is
placed inside an oven whose temperature is 50.0 °C. The pressure inside the container at
20.0 °C was at 3.00 atm. What is the pressure of the nitrogen after its temperature is
increased to 50.0 °C?

Solution:

P1 P2
––– = –––
T1 T2

3.00 x
––– = –––
293 323

Solution technique: cross-multiply and divide.

x = 3.31 atm (to three sig figs)

Note: you will see set ups (especially in gas laws) that simply omit all the units in the
solution. If you do that on a homework problem or test, you may get a deduction. It's not
laziness on the part of the person writing the solution, it's simply assuming the reader
knows what the units are and how they cancel out to leave the final unit.

Many times, you (as the student) are not allowed that luxury.

Problem #2: Determine the pressure change when a constant volume of gas at 1.00 atm
is heated from 20.0 °C to 30.0 °C.

Solution:

P1 / T1 = P2 / T2

1.00 atm / 20.0 = x / 30.0

x = 1.50 atm

Seems pretty easy. But, it's wrong! Why? I used Celsius rather than Kelvin. Here's the
correct solution:

1.00 atm / 293 = x / 303

x = 1.03 atm

Makes bit of a difference, doesn't it?

Problem #3: A gas has a pressure of 0.370 atm at 50.0 °C. What is the pressure at
standard temperature?

Solution:

0.370 atm x
–––––––– = –––––
323 K 273 K

x = 0.313 atm (to three sig figs)

I put the units into this problem solution where, up above, I did not. Your teacher may
deduct if you do not include the units in a problem solution on a homework problem or on
a test.

Problem #4: A gas has a pressure of 699.0 mmHg at 40.0 °C. What is the temperature at
standard pressure?

Solution:

699.0 mmHg 760.0 mmHg

–––––––– = ––––––––––
313 K x

x = 340. K (or 67.0 °C. to three sig figs)

Note that the problem did not specify what temperature unit to use. Usually, the
expectation is that the answer be given in the same unit as used in the problem (in this
case, degrees Celsius). If you notice this done on a test question, consider asking the
teacher what he/she wants done (or just supply both values).

Problem #5: If a gas is cooled from 323.0 K to 273.15 K and the volume is kept constant
what final pressure would result if the original pressure was 750.0 mmHg?

Solution:

P1 P2
––– = –––
T1 T2

750.0 mmHg x
––––––––––– = ––––––––
323.0 K 273.15 K

(750.0 mmHg) (273.15 K) = (323.0 K) (x)

x = 634.2 mmHg (to four sig figs)

Problem #6: If a gas in a closed container is pressurized from 15.0 atmospheres to 16.0
atmospheres and its original temperature was 25.0 °C, what would the final temperature
of the gas be in degrees Celsius?

Solution:

15.0 atm 16.0 atm

–––––––– = ––––––––––
298 K x

x = 44.9 °C. to three sig figs)

Note: convert from K to °C and then round off.

Problem #7: A 30.0 L sample of nitrogen inside a metal container at 20.0 °C is placed
inside an oven whose temperature is 50.0 °C. The pressure inside the container at 20.0 °C
was 3.00 atm. What is the pressure of the nitrogen after its temperature is increased?

Solution:

P1 / T1 = P2 / T2

3.00 atm / 293.0 K = x / 323.0 K

x = 3.31 atm (to three sig figs)

Notice the inclusion of a volume in the problem. It was put there as a deliberate
distraction. You get all concerned about what happens to the volume and you miss that it's
a metal container, which we can assume has a fixed volume.

Problem #8: A sample of gas at 3.00 x 103 mmHg inside a steel tank is cooled from
500.0 °C to 0.00 °C. What is the final pressure of the gas in the steel tank?

Solution:
P1 / T1 = P2 / T2

P1T2 = P2T1

P2 = (P1T2) / T1

P2 = [(3000 mmHg) (273 K)] / 773 K

The answer should be determined to three significant figures.

Problem #9: The temperature of a sample of gas in a steel container at 30.0 kPa is
increased from -100.0 °C to 1.00 x 103 °C. What is the final pressure inside the tank.

Solution:

P2 = (P1T2) / T1

P2 = [(30.0 kPa) (1273 K)] / 173 K

The answer should be determined to three significant figures.

Problem #10: Calculate the final pressure inside a scuba tank after it cools from 1.00 x
103 °C to 25.0 °C. The initial pressure in the tank is 130.0 atm.

Solution:

P2 = [(130.0 atm) (298 K)] / 1273 K

References:
https://www.chemteam.info/GasLaw/Gas-Boyle.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/charles-law-example-problem-607552
https://www.thoughtco.com/guy-lussacs-gas-law-example-607555
http://onlinehomework.zohosites.com/Charles-Law-Sample-Problems.html
https://www.chemteam.info/GasLaw/Gas-Gay-Lussac-Prob1-10.html
 DENSITY OF GASES
In the derivation below, M represents the molar mass for the particular gas and m represents the mass
of the gas sample. Note that unlike Boyle's, Charles's, or Gay-Lussac's Law, the identity of the gas
makes a difference when determining density, but ultimately the mass of the sample does not. The
initial substitution of n (moles) for m/M reflects how the number of moles of a substance is calculated -
from dividing mass by molar mass.