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Unit III: Physical Properties of Gases

  • Page ID
    37013
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    Here, we explore the relationships among pressure, temperature, volume, and the amount of gases. You will learn how to use these relationships to describe the physical behavior of a sample of both a pure gaseous substance and mixtures of gases. By the end of this chapter, your understanding of the gas laws and the model used to explain the behavior of gases will allow you to explain how straws and hot-air balloons work, why hand pumps cannot be used in wells beyond a certain depth, why helium-filled balloons deflate so rapidly, and how a gas can be liquefied for use in preserving biological tissue.

    Thumbnail: Motion of gas molecules. The randomized thermal vibrations of fundamental particles such as atoms and molecules—gives a substance its “kinetic temperature.” Here, the size of helium atoms relative to their spacing is shown to scale under 1950 atmospheres of pressure. (CC BY-SA 3.0; Greg L).

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    Unit III: Physical Properties of Gases is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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