Gas Laws (cemistry)
Chemistry Independent Study: Gas Laws
Since the days of Aristotle, all substances have been classified into one of three physical states. A substance having a fixed volume and shape is a solid. A substance, which has a fixed volume but not a fixed shape, is a liquid; liquids assume the shape of their container but do not necessarily fill it. A substance having neither a fixed shape nor a fixed volume is a gas; gases assume both the shape and the volume of their container. The structures of gases, and their behavior, are simpler than the structures and behavior of the two condensed phases, the solids and the liquids
Pressure and the Law of Boyle
Quantitative measurements on gases were first ...
Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers
|
since the downward force on the two columns of liquid is then equal. When the liquid levels are unequal, the pressures must differ. The difference in pressure can be measured in units of length of the vertical column of liquid. The mm Hg, or its modern version the torr, originated in this use of the manometer. Mercury is particularly convenient for use in manometers (and barometers) because at room temperature it has low vapor pressure, does not wet glass, and has a high density. Other liquids such as linseed oil or water have also been used in manometers.
The barometer is a device for measuring the total pressure of the atmosphere. A primitive barometer can easily be constructed by taking a glass tube about a meter long, sealing one end, filling the tube completely with mercury, placing your thumb firmly over the open end, and carefully inverting the tube into an open dish filled with mercury. The mercury will fall to a height independent of the diameter of the tube ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
Units of pressure were originally all based on the length of the column of liquid, usually mercury, supported in a manometer or barometer. By far the most common of these units was the mm Hg, although inches of mercury were also used in English-speaking countries. However, the modern SI unit of pressure is derived from the fundamental units of the SI. Pressure is force per unit area, and force is the product of mass times acceleration, so the SI unit of pressure is the kg m s-2/m2 or newton/m2, which is called the pascal (Pa).
All of the older units of pressure have now been redefined in terms of the pascal. One standard atmosphere or atm, the pressure of the atmosphere at sea ...
Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
Gas Laws (cemistry). (2005, October 27). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gas-Laws-cemistry/35541
"Gas Laws (cemistry)." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 27 Oct. 2005. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gas-Laws-cemistry/35541>
"Gas Laws (cemistry)." Essayworld.com. October 27, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gas-Laws-cemistry/35541.
"Gas Laws (cemistry)." Essayworld.com. October 27, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gas-Laws-cemistry/35541.
|