How does ideal gas differ from real gas, give detailed explanation with formula and examples?woth 6 marks.

1 answer

Ideal gas equation: PV = nRT

Where:
- P = pressure
- V = volume
- n = number of moles
- R = gas constant
- T = temperature

An ideal gas is a hypothetical gas composed of molecules that exhibit no interactions with each other or with the walls of the container in which they are held. This means that ideal gases follow the ideal gas law described by the equation above. In ideal gases, the volume of the gas molecules is considered negligible compared to the total volume of the container they are in, and no intermolecular forces are present.

Real gases, on the other hand, do not always behave exactly as ideal gases due to interactions between gas molecules. Real gases may exhibit deviations from ideal behavior at high pressures and low temperatures, or with gases that have large molecules or polar interactions. The ideal gas law can be modified to account for these deviations using the van der Waals equation:

(P + an²/V²)(V - nb) = nRT

Where:
- a and b are constants that depend on the gas
- n²/V² accounts for the volume occupied by the gas molecules
- nb accounts for attractions between gas molecules
- P, V, n, R, and T have the same meanings as in the ideal gas equation.

Real gases will have different behavior compared to ideal gases when pressure is high, temperature is low, or the molecules have strong intermolecular attractions. An example of a real gas is water vapor, which deviates from ideal behavior at high pressures and low temperatures.

In summary, ideal gases do not account for interactions between gas molecules and with the container, while real gases exhibit deviations from ideal behavior due to these interactions. The van der Waals equation is used to correct for these deviations when necessary.