Pressure Versus Temperature Relationship

Lance Schell, Ben Latteman, Nathan Duda, and Eric Young

Park Hill South High School
Block Two Chemistry
November 13, 2008

Abstract

In this experiment, the purposeaim was to prove the ideal gas law, as well as

find a value for absolute zero on the Celsius temperature scale e using the

information discovered in the first part of the experiment.

The absolute zero Celsius temperature value can be found by converting

degrees Kelvin into degrees Celsius by subtracting 273.15°.

[Results]

Introduction

The theory behind the ideal gas law is that pressure bears an inverse

relationship to temperature, and as such, when the pressure increases, the

temperature of the gas will decrease. That is, of course, assuming a constant

volume.
 Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature. Temperature is defined as

a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter,

expressed in terms of units or degrees designed on a standard scale.2 Absolute zero

therefore is a specific temperature at which all molecular activity ceases, or stops.3

The temperature itself is an impossible mark, as it is impossible (for the time being)

to reach the approximate temperature of -273.15 °C. From this, one can infer that

there is no such thing as “cold” in the world, but rather something colder than

another is actually less hot, or contains less heat, which in turn, means less kinetic

energy. The absolute part of the name comes from the fact that Kelvin and Rankine

are both absolute scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit, respectively. Thus, the only

point where Rankine and Kelvin are exactly the same is at zero, as zero is

considered an absolute temperature.

Experimental

The experiment was taken from the LabQuest 7: Pressure – Temperature

Relationship in Gases experiment handout from Vernier Software.

Data / Calculations

In this experiment, we used two different equations to find the data we

wanted. In an ideal gas versus a real gas, an ideal one When an ideal gas exists, we

can use the pv=nRT equation developed by We used the first one to express the

relationship between pressure and temperature, as well as using it for finding the

number of moles of a gas, the volume of the gas, the pressure of the gas, or the

temperature of the gas, depending on what information was given. P in this case

stands for pressure [expressed in kilopascals (kPa)], v for volume [expressed in

liters (L)], n for the number of moles present, R for the constant (which is 8.31), and

T which stands for temperature [expressed in degrees Kelvin (° K)]. The second

equation allows us to convert the Celsius temperatures the LabQuest™ unit gives us

into degrees Kelvin.

First Equation: Using PVNRT To Find Varying Values (Depending On

Given Information)

pv=nRT

Example: A biochemist at the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine

wants to calculate the amount of space an 18.00g sample of calcium

chloride will occupy with a temperature of 100 degrees

Kelvin and a pressure of 1520 torr.

Solution: First, we convert the units given into the units we can use in the

equation. In this case, the pressure of 1520 torr needs to be

converted into kilopascals (kPa).

1520 torrx kPa= 760 torr1 kPa

We solve by cross multiplying and dividing by 760 torr to reach our

answer of 2 kPa.

1520 torr1 kPa= 760 torrx kPa

1520 kPa760 = x kPa

2 kPa = x

Next, we find the present number of moles of calcium chloride gas by

adding the atomic masses of calcium and chlorine.

40.08g Ca + 35.45g Cl=75.53g Calcium Chloride

 The information found above tells us that 1 mole of calcium chloride

(CaCl2) is equal to 75.53g. We now set up a proportion to find the

number of moles present.

18.00gx mol=75.53g1 mol

18.00g1 mol= 75.53g

18.00g75.53g=x mol

.2383 = x mol

Now, we continue with the problem by plugging the converted value,

and all of the other given information into the problem.

(2.00 kPa)(x L)= (.238n mol)(8.31)(100 °K)

2x=800 We finish multiplying the right side of the equation and divide by

two to reach our final answer of 100 liters (L).

2.00x=200

x=100 L

Second Equation: Converting From Kelvin To Celsius, Finding Absolute

Zero In Celsius

°K-273.15=°C

Example: Suppose that a group of chemistry students had obtained data from

lab equipment and were given all temperature data in degrees Celsius.

Calculators were able to convert all of the temperatures except for

one -- 0°K. Using the formula given to you, find the value for
zero on the Celsius scale (also known as absolute zero). {This is the exact

problem used in our lab.}

Solution: We plug the temperature we are given into the equation.

0°K-273.15°=° C

-273.15=° C

We end up with a final answer in that 0° K is equal to -273.15° C.

We now divide 70.09 by 9.88 to get the value for t, which is our temperature.

First, we plug all of our known information into the problem.

t= 70.09 kPa9.88 L.

7.09 degrees Kelvin (° K)We now arrive at our answer (with significant figures) of

t=7.09 ° K

°K-273.15= °CFor example, if we wanted to find the absolute value of zero degrees

Kelvin in terms of degrees Celsius, we would plug our information into the equation

as follows. (This is the actual equation we used to determine our answer in the

experiment.)

0 °K-273.15= °C

0 °K= -273.15 °C
Conclusion

[4 Pages To This Point]

In this experiment, we aimed to prove the inverse relationship of pressure to

temperature. we were able to determine that pressure and temperature have an

inverse relationship to each other (see figures 1 and 2), and as such, when either

one goes up or increases, the other must go down, or decrease.

Graphs and Figures

Figure 1: Pressure To Temperature Relationship (K)

References
Microsoft, Absolute Zero, 2008,
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761552437/Absolute_Zero.html

Georgia State University Department of Chemistry, Ideal Gas Law, 2008,

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/kinetic/idegas.html