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Behaviour and Properties of Gas: Complete Student Guide

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Understanding Gas Laws: Equilibrium, Viscosity & Everyday Uses

The enormous number of molecules in even a small amount of dilute gas results in simplification rather than compilation, as one would imagine. The explanation for this is that in most studies of gas behaviour and properties, only statistical averages are found, and statistical methods are very reliable when large numbers are involved. Only a few properties of gases, such as pressure, density, temperature, internal energy, viscosity, heat conductivity, and diffusivity, are important when compared to the number of molecules involved. (Electric and magnetic fields may be used to reveal more subtle properties, but they are of secondary importance.) 


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Is it Easy to Figure it?

The fact that these properties are not mutually exclusive is remarkable. If you know the first two, you can figure out the rest. That is to say, specifying only two properties for a given gas—usually temperature and density or temperature and pressure—fixes all the others. Thus, if the density and the temperature of CO2 are specified, the element can have only one possible pressure, one internal energy, one viscosity, and so on. These other properties must either be measured or estimated from the known properties of the molecules themselves in order to be determined. The ultimate aim of statistical mechanics and kinetic theory is to perform such calculations, and dilute gases are the case where the most progress has been achieved.


Equilibrium Properties


Ideal Gas Equation of State

Apart from its low density as compared to liquids and solids, a dilute gas's most noticeable Behaviour and properties are its high elastic behaviour of solids or compressibility and large volume expansion when heated. Both dilute gases have almost identical properties. Almost all of these gases can be correctly represented using the universal equation of state- pv=RT.

Since all real gases deviate slightly from this expression, it is referred to as the ideal, or perfect, gas equation of state. These deviations become less important as the density of the gas decreases. The pressure is p, the volume per mole is v, the universal gas constant is R, and the absolute thermodynamic temperature is T. If the volume is more than 10 times the critical volume, the expression is accurate to within a few per cent; the accuracy improves as the volume increases. In both high and low temperatures, the expression ultimately fails due to ionisation at high temperatures and condensation to a liquid or solid at low temperatures.


Internal Energy

Internal energy is a property or state function in thermodynamics that determines the energy of a material in the absence of capillary effects and external magnetic, electric, and other fields. The value of the energy, like any other state function, is determined by the state of the material rather than the existence of the processes that led to that state. The work is proportional to the change in internal energy when a system changes state as a result of a phase in which only work is involved, according to the first law of thermodynamics. If both heat and function are involved in a system's change of state, the change in internal energy is equal to the heat supplied to the system minus the work performed by the system, according to the rule.


Transport Properties

The three major transport Behaviour and properties, viscosity, heat conductivity, and diffusivity, are summarised below. The transfer of momentum, energy, and the matter is represented by these properties.


Viscosity 

Viscosity is a form of internal friction found in all ordinary fluids. A constant force is required to keep a fluid flowing, just as a constant force is required to keep a solid body moving in the face of friction, also known as the viscoelastic behaviour of polymers. 


Heat Conduction

A flow of energy through a fluid may occur if a temperature differential is preserved through the fluid. According to Fourier's law, the energy flow is proportional to the temperature differential, with the heat conductivity or thermal conductivity of the fluid, aka, λ. Energy may be transported by mechanisms other than conduction, such as convection and radiation; it is thought that these can be omitted or modified in this case.


Diffusivity

Diffusion is a mass transfer phenomenon that causes a species' chemical behaviour distribution in space to become more uniform over time. A chemical dissolved in a liquid or a part of a gas mixture, such as oxygen in air, is referred to as a species in this case.


Fun Fact

What is the composition of matter? Atoms are the building blocks of all matter. Atoms are the tiniest particles in the universe. They're so tiny that they can't be seen with the naked eye or even a normal microscope. A million atoms make up a typical sheet of paper. A scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), which uses electricity to map atoms, has been developed by science to classify atoms. More on atoms will be discussed later, but first, let's review the three states of matter.

FAQs on Behaviour and Properties of Gas: Complete Student Guide

1. What are the four main properties used to describe the state of a gas?

The state of any gas can be described by four fundamental properties:

  • Pressure (P): The force that the gas exerts on the walls of its container.
  • Volume (V): The amount of space the gas occupies.
  • Temperature (T): A measure of the average kinetic energy of the gas particles.
  • Amount (n): The quantity of gas, usually measured in moles.
These properties are interconnected and described by various gas laws.

2. What is the Ideal Gas Law and what does it explain?

The Ideal Gas Law is a fundamental equation that describes the relationship between the four gas properties. It is expressed as PV = nRT. Here, 'P' is pressure, 'V' is volume, 'n' is the number of moles, 'T' is the absolute temperature, and 'R' is the universal gas constant. This law helps predict the behaviour of a gas under different conditions.

3. Why do scientists use the concept of an 'ideal gas' if no gas is truly perfect?

The concept of an ideal gas is a useful model that simplifies the complex behaviour of real gases. It assumes that gas particles have no volume and do not attract or repel each other. While not perfectly accurate, this model provides very reliable predictions for most gases under conditions of low pressure and high temperature, making calculations much simpler for students and scientists.

4. What is the main difference between an ideal gas and a real gas?

The main difference lies in the assumptions made about the gas molecules. An ideal gas assumes molecules have zero volume and no intermolecular forces. A real gas, however, consists of molecules that have a finite volume and experience weak attractive forces (like van der Waals forces). Real gases behave most like ideal gases at high temperatures and low pressures.

5. How does the Kinetic Theory of Gases explain pressure?

The Kinetic Theory of Gases explains that a gas consists of a large number of tiny particles in constant, random motion. The pressure of a gas is the result of these particles continuously colliding with the walls of their container. More frequent or more forceful collisions result in higher pressure.

6. How does gas behaviour explain why a car tyre's pressure is higher after a long drive?

During a long drive, the friction between the tyre and the road generates heat. This heat is transferred to the air inside the tyre, increasing its temperature. According to the gas laws, when the temperature of a gas in a fixed volume increases, its particles gain kinetic energy and move faster, leading to more forceful collisions with the tyre's inner wall. This results in an increase in pressure.

7. What does the 'root mean square' (RMS) speed of gas molecules actually mean?

The root mean square (RMS) speed is a way to measure the typical speed of particles in a gas at a specific temperature. It's not a simple average, because some molecules move very fast while others move slowly. It is calculated by taking the square root of the average of the squares of the speeds of all the molecules. The RMS speed is directly related to the temperature and the molar mass of the gas.

8. What are 'degrees of freedom' for a gas, and why are they important?

In physics, degrees of freedom refer to the number of independent ways a gas molecule can move, rotate, or vibrate. This concept is important because it determines how a gas stores thermal energy. For instance, a single-atom gas like Helium can only move in three dimensions (3 degrees of freedom), while a two-atom gas like Oxygen can also rotate (adding 2 more degrees). This affects the gas's specific heat capacity, or its ability to absorb heat.