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Knowing the Deviation from Ideal Behaviour

In this lecture we are going to learn about deviation of real gases from ideal behaviour and some of its examples.

An ideal gas is made up of minute particles that are randomly moving and colliding with one another in elastic collisions. Real gases are those that do not behave in accordance with the ideal relations of gas law. The deviation of real gas behaviour from ideal gas behaviour occurs as a result of the assumption that, as pressure increases, volume decreases, as pressure increases. The volume will approach zero, but it will never be zero because the molecules will occupy some space that cannot be compressed any further as a result of the compression.

The experimental observation of gases corresponds exactly to the theoretical model of the same gas. The difficulty arises when we try to determine how closely the relationship PV = nRT, the ideal gas equation, corresponds to the actual pressure-volume-temperature relationship of gases in real life situations. 

For real gases, the PV vs p plot does not follow a straight line when the temperature is held constant. There is a significant deviance from the ideal state of behaviour. In the case of hydrogen and helium, if the value of P increases, the value of PV increases as well, and vice versa. In other cases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, there is an initial negative deviation from the ideal behaviour; however, as pressure increases, the value of PV decreases and eventually reaches a minimum value. After reaching the minimum point, the PV value begins to rise and eventually crosses the line for the ideal gas, resulting in a continuous positive deviation from the ideal gas.

This means that real gases do not behave in accordance with the ideal gas equation at any temperature or pressure.

On occasion, it has been observed that the measured volume of gas is greater than the calculated volume when operating at high pressure. However, at low pressure, the calculated and measured volumes are getting closer to each other. As a result, it can be concluded that real gases do not perfectly obey the Charles law, Boyle’s law, and Avogadro law under all temperature and pressure conditions.

Ideal and Real Gases

In chemistry, ideal gases are defined as those gases that obey the ideal equation PV = nRT under all conditions of pressure and temperature. However, there is no such gas that behaves consistently under all conditions of pressure and temperature. As a result, this concept is purely theoretical. When the pressure is low or the temperature is high, real gases are those that obey the gas law as a result. All gases are true gases in their own right.

Pressure, Volume, and Temperature Relationship in Gases – Why do the Real Gases Deviate?

How gases behave in ways that differ from their ideal behaviour, particularly when subjected to high pressure. Actual gas behaviour more closely resembles that of the expected ideal behaviour at low pressure, as illustrated in. Because gases such as CO2 and C2H4 tend to liquefy at lower pressures than other real gases, they deviate more from the norm than other real gases.

In this case, the real gas N2 exhibits different behaviours depending on the temperature.

At high temperatures, this demonstrates that the real gas nitrogen behaves more like the ideal gas nitrogen in the ideal gas behaviour equation. Why do gases behave so differently when subjected to high pressure and low temperature? The fundamental assumptions that the law of the ideal gas is based on are no longer valid under either of these conditions: the volume of the molecules of the gas is negligible, and intermolecular interaction is negligible – both of these assumptions are no longer valid.

The gas molecules are farther apart from one another when the pressure is low, and the volume of the molecules is the same as the volume of the container when the pressure is high. Pressure causes the molecular space to contract, and their volume becomes significant when compared to the container as a result of this contraction. If more pressure is applied, the gas liquefies under extremely high pressure, as in the case of carbon dioxide.

Using a combination of forces, all of the molecules are drawn to one another. At high temperatures, these have sufficient energy to overcome their attractive force and take over as the dominant species as a result of the effects of the molecular volume. The energy of the molecules, on the other hand, decreases as the temperature of the environment decreases. Eventually, the molecules reach a point where they are unable to overcome the force of attraction, resulting in the liquefaction of the gas and the transformation of the gas into a liquid state. The ideal gas behaviour is therefore a theoretical concept that does not apply in real-world situations.

Conclusion

The important concept of deviation from ideal gas behaviour was explained in the article as a result. For understanding the variation of temperature and pressure on gases, the Van der Waals equation is essential. The reader will gain a thorough understanding of the behaviour of ideal gases as a result of reading this article.

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