The Gas Laws

The gas laws are a set of laws which describe the experimental evidence and the ways the volume,
pressure and temperature of a fixed mass of gas are related.

Name of Law

Definition- words

Formula/ Relationship

Apparatus

Graph

Qualitative explanation

Questions

Charles Law (Jacques Charles)

States that the volume of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature (on the
Kelvin scale), provided that its pressure is kept constant.

VαT

V/T = constant

V1/T1 = V2/T2

Apparatus
Graph
On absolute scale as well

Qualitative explanation

 When a gas is heated, its molecules begin to move faster as the temperature of the gas rises.
The molecules therefore collide more frequently and with each other as well as with the walls of
the container. In addition, the molecules strike the walls harder at every collision. The increased
rate of collision contributes to an increased pressure exerted by the gas and so if the gas is free
to expand, it will do so until its pressure is once again equal to the external pressure. It should
also be noted that the pressure of a gas at a given temperature is directly proportional to the
concentration (number of molecules per unit volume) of the molecules. Hence, if the
temperature of a gas is doubled, the volume of the gas would have to be doubled as well so that
the concentration of the molecules would be halved, so that the external temperature will once
again be equal to the internal temperature.

 So for example: if we have a container which has a volume of 10 cm 3 and we have 5 molecules
moving in the container and let’s say that the external pressure is equal to the internal pressure.
Now if we add heat to the container, the particles will move faster and collide with the walls
more frequently, which in turn will increase the pressure. In order for the pressure to be
equalized, the volume must increase so the particles will have a greater space to move in and
since they would have to move greater distances, the pressure is once again equalized. Please
note that this law investigates the relationship between volume and temperature, where
pressure is kept constant, but as the temperature increases, the pressure also increases so the
law in turn increases the volume so that pressure will once again decrease until it is constant.

Calculations:

1. A 600 cm3 sample of nitrogen is heated from 27 °C to 77 °C at constant pressure. What is the
final volume?
2. A hot air balloon has a volume of 2,800 m 3 at 990C at constant pressure. What is the
temperature if the air cools and the new volume becomes 2657 m 3?
3. The initial volume of a fixed mass of gas was found to be X L at 63 0C at constant pressure. If the
final volume of gas is 109 L at 800C, what is the value of X?
4. A gas occupies 2.5 x 10-6 m3 of space at 350C at constant pressure. At what temperature will it
occupy 4.69 x 10-2 m3 of space at constant pressure?

Boyle’s Law (Robert Boyle)

States that the volume of a fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its pressure, provided that its
temperature is kept constant.

V α 1/P

PV = constant

P1/V1 = P2/V2
Apparatus

Graphs

Qualitative explanation
  Remember it is collisions of the gas molecules with each other and the walls of the container
which gives rise to the pressure of a gas. So, if the rate of these collisions increase, the gas
pressure will also increase. If the volume of a fixed mass of gas is decreased, then the number of
collisions with the wall increases. This happens because more molecules now occupy a smaller
space and so with the distance between molecules and the walls of the container being greatly
reduced, they will collide more frequently, and remember, more collisions per second means a
greater pressure.

Calculations:

1. The pressure of 200 cm3 of gas was found to be 450 kPa at a certain temperature. If the pressure
increases to 780 kPa, what would be the volume of the gas, given no change in temperature.
2. The pressure of air in a container was found to be 1.70 atm and a volume of 7.8 x 10 4 cm3. If the
volume decreased to 3.4 x 102 cm3, what would be the new pressure?
3. The volume of gas in a car’s tyre on a given day was found to be 250 m 3. A pressure gauge was
used to measure the pressure of a car tyre and showed a reading of 50 Pa. If there is no change
in temperature, what value would the pressure gauge show If the volume increased to 400 m 3?
4. A sealed syringe contains 10 x10-6 m3 of air at 1 × 105 Pa. The plunger is pushed until the volume
of trapped air is 4 x 10-6 m3. If there is no change in temperature what is the new pressure of the
gas?

Pressure Law (Gay-Lussac)

States that the pressure of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature (on
the Kelvin scale), provided its volume is kept constant.

PαT

P/T = constant

P1/T1 = P2/T2

Apparatus
Graphs

Qualitative Explanation

 When the volume remains constant, and the temperature increases, the kinetic energy of the
molecules increases. Remember, the temperature is really a measure of the average kinetic
energy of the molecules, so if the molecules move faster, the it means that the temperature is
greater. But faster also means more force, and so these molecules will collide with each other
and the walls of the container at a greater rate, which in turn, increases the pressure.

Calculations

1. At a constant volume, the pressure of a gas was 340kPa at 28 0C. What will the pressure be if the
temperature was reduced to -40C?
2. The temperature of a fixed mass of gas at constant volume and pressure of 6.5 x 10 3 Pa was
550C. IF the pressure increases to 5.6 x 10 6 Pa, what would the temperature be?
3. A constant volume of gas in a container was found to be at 16 0C and 80 Pa. If the pressure
increases by 89 Pa, what would be the new temperature?
4. A car tyre contains air at 1.25 × 105 Pa when at a temperature of 27°C. Once the car has been
running for a while the temperature of the air in the tyre rises to 42°C. If the volume of the tyre
does not change what is the new pressure of the air in the tyre?

The Combined Gas Law

Used when all three quantities change at the same time

PV α T

PV/T = constant

P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2
1. In an experiment, 240cm3 of oxygen gas are collected. The temperature of the room is 20 0C and the
atmospheric pressure, read on the barometer, is 770 mm of mercury. Calculate the volume of the
gas at standard temperature and pressure (STP = 0 0C and 760 mm Hg) Ans: 227 cm3
2. A bicycle pump holds 60 cm3 of air when the piston is drawn out. The air is initially at 17 0C and 1.0
atmospheres of pressure. Calculate the pressure of the air as it is forced into the tyre if compression
reduces its volume to 15cm3 an raises its temperature to 27 0C. Ans: 4.1