General Chemistry 1

(Grade 11- STEM)

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Gas Law
Background information
What is pressure?

Pressure is a force exerted by the substance per unit area on another substance. The pressure
of a gas is the force that the gas exerts on the walls of its container. When you blow air into a
balloon, the balloon expands because the pressure of air molecules is greater on the inside of
the balloon than the outside. Pressure is a property which determines the direction in which
mass flows. If the balloon is released, the air moves from a region of high pressure to a region
of low pressure and the balloon deflates.
The kinetic theory of gases indicates that gas particles are always in motion and are colliding
with other particles and the walls of the container holding them. Although collisions with
container walls are elastic (i.e., there is no net energy gain or loss because of the collision), a
gas particle does exert a force on the wall during the collision. The accumulation of all these
forces distributed over the area of the walls of the container causes something we call pressure.
Pressure (P) is defined as the force of all the gas particle/wall collisions divided by the area of
the wall:
pressure=force/area

All gases exert pressure; it is one of the fundamental measurable quantities of this phase of
matter. Even our atmosphere exerts pressure—in this case, the gas is being “held in” by the
earth’s gravity, rather than the gas being in a container. The pressure of the atmosphere is
101,325 Pa.
Atmospheric pressure varies with height just as water pressure varies with depth. As a swimmer
dives deeper, the water pressure increases. As a mountain climber ascends to higher altitudes,
the atmospheric pressure decreases. His body is compressed by a smaller amount of air above
him. The atmospheric pressure at 20,000 feet is only one-half of that at sea level because about
half of the entire atmosphere is below this elevation.
Pressure has a variety of units. The formal, SI-approved unit of pressure is the pascal (Pa),
which is defined as 1 N/m2 (one newton of force over an area of one square meter). However,
this is usually too small in magnitude to be useful. A common unit of pressure is the atmosphere
(atm), which was originally defined as the average atmospheric pressure at sea level.
“Average atmospheric pressure at sea level” is difficult to pinpoint because of atmospheric
pressure variations. A more reliable and common unit is millimeters of mercury (mmHg), which
is the amount of pressure exerted by a column of mercury exactly 1 mm high. An equivalent unit
is the torr, which equals 1 mmHg (The torr is named after Evangelista Torricelli, a seventeenth-
century Italian scientist who invented the mercury barometer.) With these definitions of
pressure, the atmosphere unit is redefined: 1 atm is defined as exactly 760 mmHg, or 760 torr.
We thus have the following equivalences:
1 atm = 760 mmHg = 760 torr

We can use these equivalences as with any equivalences—to perform conversions from one
unit to another. Relating these to the formal SI unit of pressure, 1 atm = 101,325 Pa.

Gas Laws
The three fundamental gas laws discover the relationship of pressure, temperature, volume and
amount of gas. Boyle's Law tells us that the volume of gas increases as the pressure
decreases. Charles's Law tells us that the volume of gas increases as the temperature
increases. And Avogadro's Law tell us that the volume of gas increases as the amount of gas
increases. The ideal gas law is the combination of the three simple gas laws.

Boyles law
In 1662, Robert Boyle discovered the correlation between Pressure (P)and Volume (V)
(assuming Temperature(T) and Amount of Gas(n) remain constant):
P1V1 = P2V2 = constant
Charles’s law
In 1787, French physicists Jacques Charles, discovered the correlation between
Temperature(T) and Volume(V) (assuming Pressure (P) and Amount of Gas(n) remain
constant):
𝑽𝟏 𝑽𝟐
= = 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕
𝑻𝟏 𝑻𝟐
Avogadro’s law
In 1811, Amedeo Avogadro fixed Gay-Lussac's issue in finding the correlation between the
Amount of gas(n) and Volume(V) (assuming Temperature(T) and Pressure(P) remain constant):
𝑷𝟏 𝑷𝟐
= = 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕
𝒏𝟏 𝒏𝟐

Ideal gas law

The ideal gas law is the combination of the three simple gas laws. By setting all three laws
directly or inversely proportional to Volume, you get:
PV=nRT

where P= the absolute pressure of ideal gas

V= the volume of ideal gas
n = the amount of gas
T = the absolute temperature
R = the gas constant
Here, R is the called the gas constant. The value of R is determined by experimental results. Its
numerical value changes with units.
R = gas constant = 8.3145 Joules · mol-1 · K-1 (SI Unit)
= 0.082057 L · atm·K-1 · mol-1

Dalton's Law (Law of Partial Pressures)

Dalton’s Law, or the Law of Partial Pressures, states that the total pressure exerted by a mixture
of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in the mixture.
Ptotal = PA + PB + …….
From the partial pressure of a certain gas and the total pressure of a certain mixture, the mole
ratio, called Xi, of a gas can be found. The mole ratio describes what fraction of the mixture is a
specific gas. For example, if oxygen exerts 4 atm of pressure in a mixture and the total pressure
of the system is 10 atm, the mole ratio would be 4/10 or 0.4. The mole ratio applies to pressure,
volume, and moles as seen by the equation below. This also means that 0.4 moles of the
mixture is made up of gas i.
𝑷𝒊 𝒏𝒊 𝑽𝒊
𝑿𝒊 = = =
𝑷𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑽𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍
The mole ratio, ( Xi ) is often used to determine the composition of gases in a mixture. The sum
of the mole ratios of each gas in a mixture should always equal one since they represent the
proportion of each gas in the mixture.

Learning competency with code

Define pressure and give the common units of pressure (STEM_GC11G-lhi-43)
Use the gas laws to determine pressure, volume, or temperature of a gas under certain
conditions of change (STEM_GC11G-lhi-45)
Use the ideal gas equation to calculate pressure, volume, temperature, or number of moles of a
gas (STEM_GC11G-lhi-46)
Use Dalton’s law of partial pressures to relate mole fraction and partial pressure of gases in a
mixture (STEM_GC11G-DLli-47)

Activity 1: Check you understanding

Maximum of 4-5 sentences per item. Answer the following questions as brief as possible
1. Define pressure and explain what causes it.
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2. Define and relate three common units of pressure.

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3. Identify and differentiate the three fundamental gas laws
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Activity 2: Drinks Dispenser (DIY experiment)

Thing you’ll need

- balloon
- peg (optional) but you can use a rubber band
- plasticine
- plastic straw
- water
- glass
Procedure
Step 1 - Carefully make a small hole (similar to the diameter of the straw) about halfway
up the bottle and push the straw through the bottle leaving 1/3 to 1/2 on the outside.
Seal the extra spaces between the hole and the straw using plasticine.
Step 2 - Fill the bottle about three quarters full of water.
Step 3 - Blow up the balloon, twist and seal the neck with a peg (or rubber band).
Carefully place the end of the balloon on the bottle neck and put a glass under the
straw.
Step 4 - When you’re ready, slowly remove the peg

What happened to the water inside the bottle? (explain briefly, *hint: pressure)
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Activity 3: Problem Solving

Solve the following problems and categorize them according to which gas law did you use to
solve them. Show your complete solution and box your final answer
1. A sample of Carbon dioxide in a pump has volume of 20.5 mL and it is at 40.0 oC. When the
amount of gas and pressure remain constant, find the new volume of Carbon dioxide in the
pump if temperature is increased to 65.0 oC.

2. A 17.50mL sample of gas is at 4.500 atm. What will be the volume if the pressure becomes
1.500 atm, with a fixed amount of gas and temperature?

3. At 655mm Hg and 25.0oC, a sample of Chlorine gas has volume of 750mL. How many moles
of Chlorine gas at this condition?

4. If 1.25L of gas exists at 35oC with a constant pressure of .70 atm in a cylindrical block and the
volume were to be multiplied by a factor of 3/5, what is the new temperature in kelvin of the
gas?
5. A system at 1atm and a volume of 2 liters, underwent a change to 3.5 liters, calculate the new
pressure

6. A 3.80 g of oxygen gas in a pump has volume of 150 mL. constant temperature and pressure.
If 1.20g of oxygen gas is added into the pump. What will be the new volume of oxygen gas in
the pump if temperature and pressure held constant?

7. If I have 4 moles of a gas at a pressure of 5.6 atm and a volume of 12 liters, what is the
temperature?

8. If I have 2.4 moles of gas held at a temperature of 97oC and in a container with a volume of
45 liters, what is the pressure of the gas?

9. 24.0 L of nitrogen gas at 2 atm and 12.0 L of oxygen gas at 2 atm are added to a 10 L
container at 273 K. Find the partial pressure of nitrogen and oxygen and then find the total
pressure.

10. Flourine gas is in a 5.0 L container that is 25 C and 2 atm. A certain amount of hydrogen
with a partial pressure of .5 is added to the container. What is the mole ratio of hydrogen?

Activity 4: Evaluating the gas constant

Evaluate the value of gas constant R using the three units of pressure (kPA, atm, torr of mmhg).
Justify your answer by providing a detailed solution.

REFLECTION: Please answer the following questions on the space provided. Maximum
of 4-5 sentences per item.
1. What have you learned from this module?
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2. Why do we need to study pressure and gas laws?
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References:

“Pressure”, OER Services, retrieved on August 22, 2020 on

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-introductory-
chemistry/chapter/pressure/#:~:text=The%20formal%2C%20SI%2Dapproved%20unit,area%20
of%20one%20square%20meter).

“Gas Laws: Overview”, The LibreTexts libraries, Updated on Aug 22, 2020,
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Physical_Properties_of_Matter/
States_of_Matter/Properties_of_Gases/Gas_Laws/Gas_Laws%3A_Overview
“Gas Laws”, Florida State University, retrieved on August 23, 2020 on
https://www.chem.fsu.edu/chemlab/chm1045/gas_laws.html

“Dalton's Law (Law of Partial Pressures)”, The LibreTexts libraries, retrieved on August 22, 2020
on
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Physical_Properties_of_Matter/
States_of_Matter/Properties_of_Gases/Gas_Laws/Dalton's_Law_(Law_of_Partial_Pressures)

Emma Vanstone, “AIR PRESSURE DEMONSTRATION – DRINKS DISPENSER”, Science

Sparks Experiments, retrieved on August 22, 2020 on https://www.science-sparks.com/air-
pressure-demonstration-drinks-dispenser/

Key answers to activity 1

Answers may vary, use the rubrics for scoring students’ answers

Key answers to activity 2

Answers may vary, use the rubrics for scoring students’ answers

Key answers to activity 3

1. 22.1 ml, Charles’s law
2. 52.5 ml, Boyle’s law
3. 0.026 mol, Ideal gas law
4. 184.89 K, Charles’s law
5. 0.6 atm, Boyle’s law
6. 197 ml, Avogadro’s law
7. 205 K, Ideal gas law
8. 1.62 atm, Ideal gas law
9. PN = 2.41 atm; PO = 1.2 atm; Ptotal = 3.61 atm, Dalton’s law
10. .5/2.5 or 0.2 mol of hydrogen to 1 moltotal, Dalton’s law

Key answers to activity 4

8.314J/K⋅mol, 0.08206L⋅atm/K⋅mol, 62.36L⋅mmHg/K⋅mol

RUBRICS FOR SCORING GUIDE QUESTIONS

ITEMS EXCELLENT(5pts) GOOD(3pts) MAY STILL
IMPROVE(1pt)
Clarity of insight
Organization of ideas
Credibility of sources

PREPARED BY:
JERMIN T. DAVID
ACSCI- SHS