Ideal Gas Law

Gas: Equation of State

■ It is useful to know how the volume V, pressure p,
and temperature T of the gas of mass m are related.
■ The equation that interrelates these quantities is
called the equation of state.
• These are generally quite complicated.
• If the gas is maintained at a low pressure, the
equation of state becomes much easier.
• This type of a low density gas is commonly
referred to as an ideal gas.
 Consider an insulated
cylinder that rests on a
thermal reservoir contains a
specified quantity of gas,
which we can control by
adding or removing gas
using the gas supply.

• The temperature of this reservoir and thus of the gas

can be regulated by turning a control knob.
• A piston, whose position determines the volume of
the gas, can move without friction up and down in
the cylinder.
• Weights, shown here as
lead shot, can be added
to or removed from the
top of the piston, thus
determining the pressure
exerted by the gas.

The variables pressure p, volume V, temperature T,

and quantity of gas (number of moles n or number of
molecules N) are thus under our control.
From laboratory experiments with real gases, it was
found that their pressure p, volume V, and
temperature T are related, to a good approximation,
by
pV  NkT Eq.1

Here N is the number of molecules contained in the

volume V, and k is a constant called the Boltzmann
constant. Its measured value is,

The temperature T in Eq.1 must always be expressed in

kelvins.
It is often more useful to write Eq.1 in a slightly
different form, expressing the quantity of gas not in
terms of the number of molecules N but in terms of the
number of moles n.

The Mole:
One mole of any substance is that amount of the
substance that contains Avogadro’s number of
constituent particles
• Avogadro’s number NA = 6.022 x 1023
• The constituent particles can be atoms or
molecules
The number of moles can be determined from the mass
of the substance:
n = m /M
• M is the molar mass of the substance
• m is the mass of the sample
• n is the number of moles
Number of molecules N is related by number of moles
n as
N = nNA
Since pV  NkT Eq.1

pV = nNAkT
pV = nRT
where R = kNA is a new constant, called the molar
gas constant. Its value is

The Ideal Gas Law

pV  nRT Eq.1

pV = NkT Eq.2
The difference between the two expressions for the
ideal gas, Eq.1 involves the number of moles n, and
Eq.2 involves the number of molecules N.
 The Ideal Gas Law
The ideal gas law expresses the relationship between
the absolute pressure (P), the Kelvin temperature (T),
the volume (V), and the number of moles (n) of the
gas.
PV  nRT
Where R is the universal gas constant. R = 8.31 J/(mol ·
K).
 Since nNA=N
Where n is number of moles, N is the number of
molecules/atoms in the sample and number NA is called
Avogadro’s number.
The constant term R/NA is referred to as Boltzmann's
constant, in honor of the Austrian physicist Ludwig
Boltzmann (1844–1906), and is represented by the
symbol k:

PV = NkT Another expression for the ideal gas law

The Ideal Gas Law

PV  nRT Eq.1

PV = NkT Eq.2
The difference between the two expressions for the
ideal gas, Eq.1 involves the number of moles n, and
Eq.2 involves the number of molecules N.)
 Boyle ‘s Law
For a fixed mass of gas at
constant temperature,

For a fixed mass of gas at one temperature and different

pressures and volumes

Eliminating the constant k

Isothermal Process
 Charles Law
For a fixed mass of gas at
constant pressure,

Where m is constant of
proportionality
For a fixed mass of gas at one pressure and two temperatures
and volume

Eliminating the constant m

Isobaric Process
 Pressure ‘s Law
For a fixed mass of gas at
constant volume

where n is constant of proportionality

Eliminating the constant n

Isochoric Process
HRW 16P (5th ed.). Consider a given mass of an ideal gas. Compare
curves representing constant-pressure, constant volume, and isothermal
processes on (a) a p-V diagram, (b) a p-T diagram, and (c) a V-T
diagram. (d) How do these curves depend on the mass of gas?
p p isothermal V isothermal
constant pressure constant pressure constant volume

isothermal

constant volume constant volume constant pressure

V T T
(d) mass of gasn
Constant temperature pV  nRT  n
p nR
Constant volume  n
T V V nR
Constant pressure  n
PV  nRT T p
 Work Done by an Ideal Gas at Constant
Temperature
Consider an ideal gas in a piston–cylinder arrangement.
Suppose that the gas is allow to expand from an initial volume
Vi to a final volume Vf while we keep the temperature T of
the gas constant.
Such a process, at constant
temperature, is called an
isothermal expansion (and the
reverse is called an isothermal
compression).
On a p-V diagram, an isotherm is
a curve that connects points
that have the same
temperature.
To find the work done by an ideal gas during an
isothermal expansion,

Since PV  nRT
For Isothermal process,
T = constant
By evaluating the expression in brackets at the limits and
then using the relationship [ln a - ln b = ln(a/b)], we have

Eq.3

• For an expansion, Vf is greater than Vi, so the ratio Vf/Vi

in Eq.3 is greater than unity. The natural logarithm of a
quantity greater than unity is positive, and so the work
W done by an ideal gas during an isothermal expansion
is positive.
• For a compression, Vf is less than Vi, so the ratio of
volumes in Eq. 3 is less than unity. The natural
logarithm in that equation, hence the work W is
 To find the work done by an ideal gas during any process

Checkpoint
An ideal gas has an initial pressure of 3
pressure units and an initial volume of 4
volume units. The table gives the final
pressure and volume of the gas (in
those same units) in five processes.
Which processes start and end on the Ans: all but c
same isotherm?
 Problem
A cylinder contains 12 L of oxygen at 20 ℃ and 15 atm. The
temperature is raised to 35 ℃, and the volume is reduced to
8.5 L. What is the final pressure of the gas in atmospheres?
Assume that the gas is ideal.
Solution
From ideal gas law equation, we have

Dividing the second equation by the first equation and

solving for pf yields

Eq. 1
 and

Inserting the given data into Eq. 1 then yields

 Problem
One mole of oxygen (assume it to be an ideal gas) expands
at a constant temperature T of 310 K from an initial volume
Vi of 12 L to a final volume Vf of 19 L. How much work is
done by the gas during the expansion?
Solution Since the expansion is isothermal
The work done by the gas
during the expansion is
represented by the area
beneath the curve if.

If the expansion is now reversed, with the gas undergoing

an isothermal compression from 19 L to 12 L, the work
done by the gas will be -1180 J. Thus, an external force
would have to do 1180 J of work on the gas to compress it
 Checkpoint
For four situations for an
ideal gas, the table gives
the energy transferred to or
from the gas as heat Q and
either the work W done by
the gas or the work Won
done on the gas, all in
joules.
Rank the four situations in terms of the temperature change
of the gas, most positive first.

Ans. d, then a and b tie, then c

 Checkpoint
In the PV diagram, the gas does 5J
of work when taken along isotherm
ab and 4J when taken along adiabat
bc. What is the change in the
internal energy of the gas when it is
taken along the straight path from a
to c?

Ans. - 4 J
 Checkpoint
The dot in Fig. represents the initial state of a gas, and the
vertical line through the dot divides the p-V diagram into
regions 1 and 2. For the following processes, determine
whether the work W done by the gas is positive, negative, or
zero: (a) the gas moves up along the vertical line, (b) it
moves down along the vertical line, (c) it moves to
anywhere in region 1, and (d) it moves to anywhere in
region 2.
Ans. (a) 0;
(b) 0;
(c) negative;
(d) positive
 Checkpoint
The dot in Fig. represents the initial state of a gas, and the
isotherm through the dot divides the p-V diagram into
regions 1 and 2. For the following processes, determine
whether the change Eint in the internal energy of the gas is
positive, negative, or zero: (a) the gas moves up along the
isotherm, (b) it moves down along the isotherm, (c) it
moves to anywhere in region 1, and
(d) it moves to anywhere in region 2.

Answer
(a) 0;
(b) 0;
(c) negative;
(d) positive
HRW 18P (5th ed.). A sample of an ideal gas is taken through the
cyclic process abca shown in the figure; at point a, T = 200 K. (a)
How many moles of gas are in the sample? What are (b) the
temperature of the gas at point b, (c) the temperature of the gas at
point c, and (d) the net heat added to the gas during the cycle?
PV  nRT
p AVA
(a) n  1.5 mol. Eint  Q  W
RTA
b

Pressure (kN/m2)
pBVB 7.5
3
(b) TB   1.8  10 K
nR
pC VC 2
(c) TC   6.0  10 K 2.5 a c
nR
(d) Cyclic process  ∆Eint = 0 1.0 3.0

Q = W = Enclosed Area= 0.5 x 2m2 x 5x103 Pa = 5.0 x 103 J