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Chemistry 12: Gas Laws Boyle's Law

Robert Boyle 1627-1691
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Prior Knowledge/Preview
Units of pressure
1 atm = 101.325 kPa = 760 mm Hg
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Boyle's Law Lab on VIDEO with data collection activity
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Aerospace CONNECTIONS:
Gas Laws in aerospace
Applications and examples:
   Fuels--temperatures/pressures
   Breathing in Space--volume/pressure in a space capsule
   Pressure changes in Space
   Pressure and Altitude

Investigating the relationships between P, V and T

Start by studying the relationship between TWO variables at a time and keeping the third constant as well as the amount (# moles) of gas

 

What is kept constant?

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Boyle’s Law Activity

 

Data collection activity:

SAFETY: Wear goggles and lab coat/apron

Care with higher pressures in the syringe

 

Procedure

            Pull out the syringe plunger to 50 mL to obtain a volume of air in the syringe.  Then, set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram by attaching the pressure gauge to the syringe.

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Predict what you think will happen as you push in the plunger of the syringe

Take trial #1 readings of pressure and volume.  Record the results.

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Repeat for trials 2-7, recording your data each time.

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Note any qualitative data—what do you think you would observe as you pushed the plunger in? Etc.

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Look at the data you obtained.Is this what you predicted?  Explain why, why not.

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Processing your data:

 

What will a graph of the plotted data look like? Predict it!

 

Would the graph go through the origin?

 

Why is a graph that goes through the origin useful?

 

PLOT your data (volume on x-axis) Carefully draw squares on lined paper or print out the graph paper template provided

 

How could you get a line perpendicular to the one you’ve got?

 

Would that go through the origin?

Draw it

 

Need help here—it’s a click away

Analyzing your results:

 

Use your graph to determine the mathematical relationship between P and V (provided the amount of gas [moles] and the temperature remain constant).

Predict what would happen if you started with the plunger in fully and pulled it out—if you collected this data, where would it go on the graph?

 

Why is this relationship important in everyday life?

 

This is Boyle’s Law—click here to see a verbal description of Boyle’s Law. 

 

Why would this NOT work for a liquid?

Gas Laws

Avogadro's Law

Boyle's Law

Charles's Law

Pressure Law

Gay-Lussac's Law TWO

Ideal Gas equation

Ideal gases

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