Name Class Date

CHAPTER 3 States of Matter

SECTION

4 Behavior of Gases
KEY IDEAS
As you read this section, keep these questions in mind:
What are some properties of gases?
How do changes of pressure, temperature, or volume
affect a gas?

What Are Some Properties of Gases?

Particles in a gas move rapidly in all directions. Some READING TOOLBOX
of the unique properties of gases are listed below: Organize As you read, make
expand to fill their containers a table that lists all of the gas
easily mix with one another laws discussed in the section.
For each law, identify which
have low densities factor must stay constant,
can be compressed which variables change, and
are mostly empty space the relationship between the
variables.
GASES AND THEIR CONTAINERS
Gases exert pressure on their containers. For example,
as helium molecules inside a balloon move, they bump
into each other and the walls of the balloon. One mol-
ecule alone does not have a large effect. However, mil-
lions of molecules create a steady force. If too many gas
molecules are in the balloon, the total pressure they exert
can cause the balloon to break.

EHHDBG@<EHL>K
1. Predict What would
happen to pressure if you
removed some of the gas
particles from the balloon?

Gas particles exert pressure on the walls of a balloon.

A gas under pressure will escape its container if pos-

sible. For example, if you open the end of a balloon, gas
will rush out of the balloon. For this reason, gases in
pressurized containers, such as propane tanks or helium
tanks, can be very dangerous.
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Interactive Reader 61 States of Matter
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SECTION 4 Behavior of Gases continued

What Are the Gas Laws?

Gases behave differently than solids or liquids do. For
example, the volume of a gas can change due to pressure,
but the volume of a solid or liquid generally cannot. The
gas laws describe how variables such as pressure, vol-
ume, and temperature affect the behavior of gases. The
gas laws will help you understand and predict the behav-
ior of gases in specific situations.

PRESSURE AND VOLUME

READING CHECK
2. Identify Boyles law
describes the relationship
between which two variables?
A diver is swimming at a depth of 10 m below sea
level. An air bubble escapes from her mouthpiece. As
the bubble rises to the surface, it gets bigger. When the
bubble reaches the waters surface, its volume is double
its original size.
This example shows the relationship between the vol-
ume and pressure of a gas, also known as Boyles law.
Boyles law is true for almost any gas, if temperature
and amount of gas are constant, or unchanged.
Boyles Law
For a certain amount of gas at a constant temperature, the
volume of a gas decreases as the gass pressure increases.
Likewise, the volume of a gas increases as the gass pressure
decreases.
In mathematical terms:
Boyles Law
(initial pressure)(initial volume) = (nal pressure)(nal volume)
P1V1 = P2V2

The figure below illustrates Boyles law. Both pistons

contain the same amount of gas at the same temperature.

EHHDBG@<EHL>K
3. Identify What happens to
volume as pressure
decreases?
If you lift the piston, pressure If you push the piston, pressure
decreases. The gas particles increases. The gas particles are
spread farther apart, and the pushed closer together, and the
volume increases. volume decreases.

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Interactive Reader 62 States of Matter
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SECTION 4 Behavior of Gases continued

APPLYING BOYLES LAW

You can use Boyles law to predict changes in the pres-
sure or volume of a gas. Remember that Boyles law is
true only when the temperature and amount of gas do not
change. READING CHECK
A balloon has a volume of 7.5 L at 100.0 kPa. As the 4. Identify Under what
balloon rises in the atmosphere, the gas inside expands conditions does Boyles law
to a volume of 11 L. Assume the balloon is at a constant apply?

temperature and the amount of gas does not change.

What is the pressure when the volume is 11 L?

The ballon on the left has a volume of 7.5 L and a pressure of 100 kPa. As the bal-
loon rises, it becomes larger. The balloons new volume is 11 L. The temperature
and number of molecules inside the balloon stay the same.

Step 1: List the given and unknown Given: Unknown:

values. V1 = 7.5 L P2
P1 = 100.0 kPa Math Skills
V2 = 11 L
5. Calculate A 300 mL
Step 2: Write the equation and P1V1 = P2V2 sample of hydrogen gas is
rearrange to solve for the unknown.
P1V1 at a pressure of 0.500 kPa.
P2 = _ If the pressure increases to
V2
0.750 kPa, what will be the
Step 3: Insert the known values and (100.0 kPa)(7.5 L) nal volume of the sample?
solve for the unknown value. P2 = __ Assume that temperature
11 L
stays constant.
P2 = 68 kPa

PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE

Recall that temperature is a measure of the average
kinetic energy of particles. As the particles of a substance
move faster, the substances temperature increases. The
particles bump into each other and the sides of the con-
tainer more often, which increases pressure. Thus, as
temperature increases, pressure increases. This is known
as Gay-Lussacs law.

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Interactive Reader 63 States of Matter
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SECTION 4 Behavior of Gases continued
8g^i^XVaI]^c`^c\
6. Compare How are the re-
lationships between variables
described in Gay-Lussacs law
and Charless law similar?
EHHDBG@<EHL>K
7. Identify What two factors
did not change during the
experiment?
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Interactive Reader
Class Date
Gay-Lussacs Law
When volume is constant, the pressure of a gas
increases as temperature increases. Pressure
decreases as temperature decreases.
In other words, the pressure and temperature of a gas
are directly related. As one changes, the other changes in
the same direction.
TEMPERATURE AND VOLUME
Like the temperature and pressure of a gas, the tem-
perature and volume of a gas are directly related. This
relationship is described in Charless Law.
Charless Law
When the amount of a gas and pressure are
constant, the volume of a gas increases as its
temperature increases. Likewise, as volume
decreases, temperature decreases.
The figure below illustrates Charless Law. Both pis-
tons have the same amount of gas at the same pressure.
When temperature decreases, the When temperature increases, the gas
gas particles move more slowly and particles move faster and volume
volume decreases. increases.
The following experiment also illustrates Charless law.
Air-lled balloons are put The low temperature When the balloons are
into liquid nitrogen. of the liquid nitrogen removed from the liquid
makes the volumes of nitrogen, their tem-
the air in the balloons perature increases. The
smaller. volume of each balloon
increases to its original
volume.
64 States of Matter
Name Class Date

SECTION 4 Behavior of Gases continued

How Can Graphs Illustrate the Gas Laws?

You can use graphs to show how temperature, pres-
sure, and volume affect gases. A graph can show the
relationship between two factors. For example, the graph
can show if a relationship is direct or inverse. In a direct
relationship, the two variables change in the same direc-
tion. In an inverse relationship, the variables change in
opposite directions. In the graph below, temperature and
volume have a direct relationship.
Volume versus Temperature for
a Gas at a Constant Pressure Graphing Skills
0.700
8. Analyze Is the relation-
0.600 ship shown in this graph
0.500 direct or inverse? How do
you know?
Volume (L)

0.400

0.300

0.200

0.100

0.000
0 100 200 300
Temperature (K) 9. Analyze Is this relation-
ship proportional? Explain
The shape of the line in a graph also describes the your answer.
relationship. If a graph is a straight line, such as the
graph above, one variable is directly or inversely
proportional to the other. In a proportional relationship,
the variables stay in the same ratio to each other as their
values change. If a graph is a curve, one variable is not
proportional to the other. This means that the variables
do not stay in the same ratio to each other as their values
change.
EHHDBG@<EHL>K
Volume versus Pressure 10. Identify Which gas law
for a Gas at a Constant Temperature
does this graph represent?
0.500

0.400
11. Infer Is the relationship
Volume (L)

0.300 between the variables direct

or inverse? Explain your
0.200
answer.
0.100

0.000
0 100 200 300 400
Pressure (kPa)

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Section 4 Review
SECTION VOCABULARY
gas laws the laws that state the mathematical
relationships between the volume, tempera-
ture, pressure, and quantity of a gas

1. Identify How do gas particles exert pressure on their container?

2. Apply Concepts Chandra notices that her bicycle tires have higher pressure during
the hot summer than during the cold winter. Which gas law explains her observa-
tion? Explain your answer.

3. Predict What would happen eventually to a balloon sitting in a sunny window?

Which gas law predicts this?

4. Describe In Boyles law, what is the relationship between pressure and volume?

5. Graph Relationships In the space below, create a graph showing the proportional
relationship between temperature and pressure described by Gay-Lussacs law.
Be sure to label the axes of your graph and give your graph a title.

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Interactive Reader 66 States of Matter