Section 1: Gases Flashcards
Central Theme of Chemistry
- The macroscopic properties and behavior of substances that we can see or easily measure are the result of atomic or molecular-scale (i.e. microscopic or sub-microscopic) properties and behavior.
- Chemists use the observable changes in the properties/behaviour of matter to understand their microscopic causes
What is a gas?
– fills and assumes the shape of its container.
– diffuses and mixes in all proportions with other gases.
Molecules in a gas
- are separated by large distances and interact weakly with each other, if at all.
- At T ~300K and Atmospheric pressure… Gas densities are strongly dependent on T & P, unlike solids and liquids.
The four variables/parameters that describe any gas:
– number of moles • proportional to mass – temperature – volume – pressure
Pressure
• Confined gases exert pressure.
• Detected as an outward force
Pressure: Force (N) per unit area (m^2)
Atmospheric Pressure
• Atmosphere – air
– N2, O2, Ar, CO2, H2O
• Extends roughly 100 km into space.
Imploding Can
- boil water inside popcan
- add it to cold water, the gaseous water molecules that are flying around in the can, when they hit the cold water they stick to the can
- you essentially form a vacuum inside of the can
Evangelista Torricelli
- 1608-1647 (Northern Italy)
- Discovers atmospheric pressure
- Builds world’s first barometer (allows you to take quantitative measurements of atmospheric pressure)
The barometer
• Fill test-tube with Hg (mercury). • Invert the tube. • Place open end in container of Hg. • Height of Hg falls to 76 cm. My notes: - has two pieces: - normally a dish that contains liquid mercury - and a long (1m) test tube - fill test tube with Hg, then invert that tube into the liquid Hg. At sea level, the column of Hg will drop such that the heigh falls to 76cm
Why does the Hg drop in the barometer?
• Hg level changes until pressure from Hg column = atmospheric pressure
•
≈ 760mm (sea-level)
– does not depend on diameter of tube.
Pressure exerted by a column of liquid at its base
- does not depend on the area of the column
Liquid Pressure: Columns
P=ghd
- The pressure exerted by a liquid depends on:
• The height of the column of the liquid and the density of the liquid
Manometers
- on right, have a confined gas that you need to get the pressure of
- beside that, the P of the gas pushing down
- on the left hand side, it is open to atmosphere
- the right hand side its the pressure of the gas and the presure due to mercury
- the left hand side is the pressure of atmosphere and pressure of the mercury
- this must mean these two pressures are equal since the meniscus is the same level
Simple gas laws
relationships between pairs of gas properties (P, V, T, n)
Ideal Gas
- a gas that obeys the simple gas laws perfectly.
* Real gases can behave like ideal gases over a range of conditions
Boyle’s Law
• In 1662, Robert Boyle discovers the first gas law
using a manometer.
• Varies the volume and pressure of a fixed amount of air at constant temperature.
-experimented with a trapped volume of air
- he varied the pressure that was acting on the air at a constant temperature
- he used manometer, poured in Hg, he changed the pressure by adding more Hg