Ideal gas behavior from "summary" of Physical Chemistry by Robert G. Mortimer
The concept of ideal gas behavior is a fundamental principle in physical chemistry. An ideal gas is a theoretical gas composed of a large number of molecules that are in constant, random motion. These molecules do not interact with each other except during collisions, and the volume occupied by the molecules is negligible compared to the volume of the container. Ideal gas behavior is characterized by several key assumptions. The first assumption is that the gas molecules are in constant, random motion. This means that the molecules move in all directions with a wide range of speeds. The second assumption is that the molecules do not interact with each other except during collisions. This implies that the gas molecules do not exert any attractive or repulsive forces on each other. Another important assumption of ideal gas behavior is that the volume occupied by the gas molecules is negligible compared to the volume of the container. This assumption allows us to treat the gas as a continuous medium rather than as individual particles. Additionally, ideal gases are assumed to obey the ideal gas law, which relates the pressure, volume, and temperature of a gas. Despite these assumptions, real gases do not always behave ideally. Deviations from ideal gas behavior can occur at high pressures or low temperatures, where the molecules are closer together and the intermolecular forces become significant. In these cases, corrections to the ideal gas law are necessary to account for the non-ideal behavior of the gas.- Ideal gas behavior is a useful concept in physical chemistry that simplifies the study of gases and provides a foundation for understanding the behavior of real gases under different conditions. By making certain assumptions about the behavior of gas molecules, we can predict and explain the properties of gases in a wide range of experimental conditions.
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