UNIT 9: BEHAVIOUR OF PERFECT GAS & KINETIC THEORY OF GASES

CHAPTER 22: BEHAVIOUR OF PERFECT GAS & KINETIC THEORY OF GASES

NUMERICAL EXAMPLES

1. In a faulty barometer due to some air present above mercury in a volume of 20 cm 3, the
reading is a 70 cm. When the barometer tube is immersed so much in Mercury that the
volume of air in the tube above mercury is reduced to 5 cm 3, then the barometer reads 55
cm. What is correct pressure of the atmosphere?
2. Two glass bulbs of same volume containing a gas at N.T.P. are connected by a very
narrow tube. The pressure is 88.46 cm of Mercury when one bulb is kept in ice and the
other in hot water. Find the temperature of hot water.
3. Two glass bulbs of equal volumes are connected by a narrow tube and are filled with a
gas at 0°C and a pressure of 76 cm of mercury. One of the bulbs is then placed in melting
ice and the other in a water-bath maintained at 62°C. What is the new value of the
pressure inside the bulbs? The volume of the connecting tube is negligible.
4. A vertical hollow cylinder of height 1.52 m is fitted with a movable piston of negligible
mass and thickness. The lower half portion of the cylinder contains an ideal gas and the
upper half is filled with mercury. The cylinder is initially at 300 K. When the temperature
is raised, half of the mercury comes out of the cylinder. Find the temperature, assuming
the thermal expansion of Mercury to be negligible. (Atmospheric pressure = 0.76 m of
Hg)
5. In a certain region of space there are only 5 molecules per cm 3 on an average. The
temperature there is 3 K. What is the pressure of this very dilute gas? (k = 1.38 x 10 -23
J/K)
6. Molar volume is the volume occupied by 1 mole of any (ideal) gas at standard
temperature and pressure (STP), that is, at 1 atmosphere pressure and 0°C temperature.
Show that it is 22.4 litre. Take R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1.
7. A vessel contains two non-reacting gases, neon (monoatomic) and oxygen (diatomic).
The ratio of their partial pressures is 3 : 2. Find the ratio of (a) number of molecules, and
(b) mass density of Ne and O 2 in the vessel. The atomic mass of Ne is 20.2 and the
molecular mass of 02 is 32.0.
8. Two perfect gases at absolute temperatures T 1 and T2 are mixed. There is no loss of
energy. Find the temperature of the mixture if the masses of the molecules are m 1 and m2
and the number of molecules in the gases are n1 and n2 respectively.
9. The temperature of an ideal gas is T K and the mean kinetic energy E of its molecules is
given by the following relation: E = 2.07 x 10 -23 T (joule/K)/molecule. Calculate the
number of molecules in one litre of the gas at N.T.P. What will be the average distance
between the molecules? (1 atmospheric pressure = 1.01 x 105 N m-2.)
10. Air is filled at 60°C in a vessel of open mouth. Up to what temperature the vessel should
be heated so that 1/4th part of the air may escape?
11. A gas is filled in a vessel at a certain temperature and at a pressure of 80 cm of Mercury.
At the same temperature, more gas is filled in the vessel so that its mass increases by
60%. Determine the resultant pressure in the vessel.
12. The density of carbon dioxide gas at 0°C and at a pressure of 1.0 × 10 5 Nm-2 is 1.98 kgm-
3
. Find the root mean square velocity of its molecules at 0°C and 30°C. Pressure is
constant.
13. At what temperature will the average velocity of oxygen molecules be sufficient so as to
escape from the Earth? Escape velocity from the Earth is 11 km/s and mass of one
molecule of oxygen is 5.34 × 10-26 kg. (Boltzmann constant k = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K)
14. Calculate the kinetic energy of one mole of a gas at normal temperature and pressure.
What will be its value at 273°C? Take R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1.
15. What is the mean kinetic energy of a molecule of a gas at 300 K temperature? What will
be the root mean square speed of a molecule of hydrogen gas at this temperature? (Given:
R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1, N = 6.02 × 1023 mol-1, mass of hydrogen molecule = 2 × 1.67 × 10 -27
kg).
16. The specific heats of an ideal gas at constant volume and constant pressure are
respectively 4.98 and 6.96 cal mol-1 K-1. If the molecular weight of the gas be 32, then
calculate the root-mean square speed of the molecules of the gas at 120°C. (Mechanical
equivalent of heat J = 4.2 J/cal)
17. If pressure remains constant, then at what temperature the root-mean-square velocity of
the molecules of a gas will remain half of the root-mean-square velocity at 0°C?
18. If the temperature of a gas is raised from 27°C to 327°C, how many times will the root-
mean-square velocity of its molecules become?
19. From a certain apparatus, the diffusion rate of hydrogen has an average value of 28.7
cm3/s while that of another gas is 7.2 cm3/s. Identify the gas.
20. At a certain pressure and 127°C temperature the mean kinetic energy of hydrogen
molecule is 8.0 x 10-21 joule. Determine at the same pressure: (i) root-mean-square speed
of hydrogen molecule at 27°C, (ii) rms speed of nitrogen molecule at 27°C, (iii) average
kinetic energy of nitrogen molecule at 127°C. Given: mass of hydrogen atom = 1.7 x 10 -27
kg, atomic weight of nitrogen = 14.
21. A vessel A contains hydrogen and another vessel B whose volume is twice of A contains
same mass of oxygen at the same temperature. Compare: (i) average kinetic energies of
hydrogen and oxygen molecules, (ii) root-mean-square speeds of the molecules, (iii)
pressures of gases in A and B. (Molecular weights of hydrogen and oxygen are 2 and 32
respectively).
22. A flask contains argon and chlorine in the mass ratio 2 : 1 at 27°C temperature. The
atomic mass of argon is 39.9 and the molecular mass of chlorine is 70.9. Find the ratio of
(i) average kinetic energy per molecule, and (ii) rms speed (v rms) of the molecules of the
two gases.
23. Calculate the temperature at which the average kinetic energy of a molecule of a gas will
be the same as that of an electron accelerated through 1 volt. Boltzmann constant k = 1.4
x 10-23 J/K, charge of an electron e = 1.6 x 10-19 C.
24. A cylinder of fixed capacity 44.8 litres contains helium gas at NTP. Find the amount of
heat required to raise the temperature of the gas by 15.0°C. Given : R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1
25. Two moles of an ideal monoatomic gas are confined within a cylinder by a massless and
frictionless spring-loaded piston of cross-sectional area 4 x 10 -3 m2. The spring is,
initially, in its relaxed state. Now, the gas is heated by an electric heater, placed inside the
cylinder, for some time. During this time, the gas expands and does 50 J of work in
moving the piston through a distance 0.10 m. The temperature of the gas increases by 50
K. Calculate the spring constant and the heat supplied by the heater. (Given: 1
atmospheric pressure = 105 N/m2, R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1.)
26. An insulated box containing an ideal monoatomic gas of molar mass M is moving with a
uniform speed v. The box is suddenly stopped. Find the consequent change in the
temperature of the gas.
27. What amount of heat should be given to 2.0 x 10 -2 kg of nitrogen at room temperature in
order to raise its temperature by 45°C at constant pressure? The molecular mass of N2 is
28. Given: R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1
28. 5 moles of oxygen are heated at constant volume from 10°C to 20°C. What will be the
change in the internal energy of the gas? R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1
29. A gas has molar heat capacity C = 37.35 J mol-1 K-1 in the process PT = constant. Find
the number of degrees of freedom of molecules in the gas. R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1.

OBJECTIVE TYPE

1. Every gas behaves like an ideal gas at:

(a) Low pressure and high temperature
(b) High pressure and low temperature
(c) Normal pressure and temperature
(d) High pressure and high temperature
2. The pressure P of an ideal gas and its average kinetic energy per unit volume are
related as:
1
(a) P= E
2
(b) P = E
3
(c) P= E
5
2
(d) P= E
3
3. The average kinetic energy of molecules of gas at 40°C is E. The temperature at
which energy will be 2E is:
(a) 80°C
(b) 160°C
(c) 273°C
(d) 353°C
4. The ratio of the average kinetic energies of an oxygen molecule and that of hydrogen
molecule filled in a vessel will be:
(a) 1
(b) 4
(c) 8
(d) 16
5. A vessel contains a mixture of one mole of oxygen and two moles of nitrogen at 300
K. The ratio of the average kinetic energy per O2 molecule to that per N2 molecule is:
(a) 1:1
(b) 1:2
(c) 16:14
(d) 1:4
6. The root-mean-square speed of molecules of two ideal gases are same. If molecular
weights and absolute temperatures of the two gases are respectively M 1, M2 and T1,
T2, then:
T1 M 2
(a) =
T 2 M1
T 1 M1
(b) =
T2 M 2
 (c)
T1
T2
=
√M2
M1

(d)
T1
T2
=
√ M1
M2
7. If the mass of a gas molecule be m, then the root-mean-square speed (v rms) of the gas
molecules at temperature T will be:
(a)
√3 kT
m
(b)
√2 kT
m
(c)
√8 kT
πm
(d)
√ m
3 kT
8. The ratio of root-mean-square speeds of the molecules of hydrogen to that of oxygen
at the same temperature is:
(a) 4:1
(b) 8:1
(c) 16:1
(d) 32:1
9. Internal energy of one mole of a gas at temperature T is:
(a) Cp × T
(b) Cv × T
(c) (Cp – Cv) × T
(d) Cp/Cv × T
10. For an ideal gas, γ = Cp/Cv, hence :
(a) γ = 1 + (R/Cp)
(b) γ = 1 + (R/Cv)
(c) γ = 1 – (R/Cp)
(d) γ = 1 – (R/Cv)
11. The number of degrees of freedom of a rigid diatomic molecule is:
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) 5
12. A bird is flying in the sky. The degrees of freedom for its motion are:
(a) 3
(b) 2
(c) 1
(d) 0

Very short answer type

1. The pressure of a given mass of an ideal gas is halved at constant temperature. What will
be the volume of the gas in comparison to its initial volume?
2. An ideal gas is at a temperature of 127°C. It is heated at constant pressure until its
volume becomes 1.5 times. What will be the new temperature of the gas?
3. The pressure of a gas at - 173°C temperature is 1 atmosphere. Keeping the volume
constant, to what temperature should the gas be heated so that its pressure becomes 2
atmosphere?
4. The temperature of a gas is raised by 15°C. What is the corresponding rise in
temperature on Kelvin's absolute scale?
5. Can the temperature of an object have a negative value on Kelvin's scale?
6. What is absolute zero on Celsius scale?
7. What is SI unit of gas constant?
8. What is meant by Boltzmann constant?
9. At a constant temperature, what is the relation between the pressure P and the density d
for an ideal gas?
10. A gas, enclosed in a vessel, has pressure P, volume V and absolute temperature T. Write
down the formula for the number of molecules 'n' of the gas.
11. What is the volume of one mole gas at normal temperature and pressure?
12. Write the formula for the pressure of an ideal gas in terms of mass m of a molecule, the
number n and mean-square velocity u2 of molecules, on the basis of kinetic theory.
13. What is the relation between the pressure and kinetic energy per unit volume of a gas?
14. Although the root-mean-square speed of gas molecules is of the order of the speed of
sound in that gas, yet on opening a bottle of ammonia in one corner of a room its smell
takes time in reaching the other corner. Explain why?
15. A gas is filled in a cylinder fitted with piston at a constant temperature and pressure.
Explain on the basis of kinetic theory :
16. On reducing the volume of a gas at constant temperature, the pressure of the gas
increases. Explain on kinetic theory.
17. On driving the scooter for a long time the air pressure in the tyres slightly increases;
why?
18. What is the absolute zero temperature on the basis of the kinetic theory of gases?
19. Two vessels of the same volume are filled with the same gas at the same temperature. If
the pressure of the gas in these vessels be in the ratio 1:2, then state: (i) the ratio of the
root-mean-square speeds of the molecules, (ii) the ratio of the number of molecules.
20. The ratio of the densities of two gases at the same temperature is 8:9. Compare the root-
mean-square velocities of their molecules.
21. A box contains equal number of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen gases. If there is a
fine hole in the box, then which gas will leak more rapidly? Why?
22. There are n molecules of gas in a box. If the number of molecules is increased to 2n,
what will be the effect on the pressure of the gas? On the total kinetic energy of the gas?
On the root-mean-square speed of the molecules?
23. On which factors does the average kinetic energy of gas molecules depend: nature of the
gas, absolute temperature, volume?
24. A jar contains a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen gases. Compare: (i) average kinetic
energies of the molecules of the two gases, (ii) root-mean-square velocities of the
molecules of the two gases. (Molecular weights of nitrogen and oxygen are respectively
28 and 32).
25. Explain with reasons what will be the kinetic energy of a gas at absolute zero
temperature?
26. The absolute temperature of a gas is made four times. How many times will its total
kinetic energy become? Root-mean-square velocity of its molecules? Pressure?
27. What is meant by 'degrees of freedom of a gas molecule?
28. State the 'law of equipartition of energy'.
29. Does the number of degrees of freedom of a gas molecule change with rise in
temperature?
30. Show that for a diatomic gas, the ratio of the two specific heats is 7/5.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE

1. The cyclic process ABCA of a given mass of an ideal gas is shown in a 7-V graph in Fig
(a). Show the same process on a P-V graph.

2. 1 cm3 of hydrogen and 1 cm3 of oxygen are given at N.T.P. Explain, with reason, which
will have a larger number of molecules.
3. Calculate the root-mean-square speed of smoke particles each of mass 5 x 10-17 kg in
their Brownian motion in air at N.T.P. (k = 1.38 x 10-23 J K-1.)
4. Write the relation between root-mean-square speed of the molecules of a gas and the
speed of sound in that gas.
5. Two vessels A and B are identical. A has 1 gram hydrogen at 0°C and B has 1 gram
oxygen at 0°C. Oxygen is 16 times heavier than hydrogen. (i) Which vessel does contain
more molecules and how much? (ii) In which vessel is the pressure of the gas higher and
how much? (iii) In which vessel is the average speed of molecules larger and how much?
6. 6. In the upper part of the atmosphere the kinetic temperature of air is of the order of
1000 K, even then one feels severe cold there. Why?
7. Equal masses of helium and oxygen gases are given 'equal' quantities of heat. Which gas
will undergo a greater temperature-rise?
8. Absolute zero temperature is not the temperature of zero energy; explain.
9. A vessel contains a mixture of 1 mole of oxygen and 2 moles of nitrogen at 300 K. What
is the ratio of the average rotational kinetic energy per O2 molecule to that per N2
molecule?
10. For hydrogen (H2), the molecular specific heat at constant volume (C.) is about 3/5 R in
the temperature range of about 250 K to 750 K. At lower temperatures, the value of Cv,
for H2, decreases to about 3/2R, typical.
11. Three students obtained the following three sets of Cp and Cv, for a gas. Which one of
these is most reliable? All values are in cal mol-1K-1. (i) Cp = 5.0, Cv = 3.0; (ii) Cp = 6.0,
Cv = 4.0; (iii) Cp = 4.2, Cv = 3.0

LONG ANSWER TYPE A

1. What is an ideal (or perfect) gas? Under what conditions of pressure and temperature can
a gas be assumed as an ideal gas? Determine the gas-constant for one gram-molecule of
a gas.
2. Establish the equation PV = RT for an ideal gas and obtain the dimensional formula for
R.
3. (i) Prove that the root-mean-square velocity of the molecules of a gas is directly
proportional to the square-root of the absolute temperature of the gas.
(ii) Establish relation between kinetic energy of the molecules of a gas and temperature.
4. On the basis of kinetic theory, what is the concept of temperature? Explain, on its basis,
that the absolute zero temperature is the only minimum possible temperature.
1 2
5. Assuming the relation P= ρ v of kinetic theory, prove that the average kinetic energy
3
of a molecule of an ideal gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of the
gas.
6. What do you understand by degrees of freedom? Discuss the degrees of freedom of a
monoatomic and diatomic gas molecule.

LONG ANSWER TYPE B.

1. State the postulates of kinetic theory of gases. Derive an expression for the pressure of
the gas on its basis.
2. State the postulates of the kinetic theory of an ideal gas and show that the pressure P
exerted by the gas on the walls of the container is 2/3 times the translational kinetic
energy per unit volume.
3. Explain temperature on the basis of kinetic theory of gases and prove that average
kinetic energy of a molecule of an ideal gas is directly proportional to the absolute
temperature of the gas.
4. Explain thermal equilibrium, kinetic interpretation of temperature, write expression for
kinetic energy of 1 mole and 1 molecule of a gas.
5. State the law of equipartition of energy. Using this law, show that for a perfect gas
having f degrees of freedom, γ = 1 + (2/f).

NUMERICALS

1. The reading of a simple barometer containing some air above the mercury column is
73 cm, while the reading of a correct barometer is 76 cm. If the tube of the faulty
barometer is pushed down into mercury until the volume of air in it is reduced to half
its previous volume, what will be the new reading of the faulty barometer?
2. The volume of an air bubble becomes 11 times on reaching the surface of water from
the bottom of a lake. If the height of mercury in the barometer be 75 cm, then
calculate the depth of the lake. Density of water of the lake is 1.02 x 103 kg m-3.
3. The pressure of an ideal gas filled in the bulb of a constant-volume gas thermometer
at 7°C is 60 cm of mercury. What will be the pressure of the same volume of gas at
147°C?
4. Air is filled in a bottle at atmospheric pressure and it is corked at 35°C. If the cork can
come out at 3 atmospheric pressure then up to what temperature should the bottle be
heated in order to remove the cork?
5. The volume of a balloon filled partially with helium is 30 m 3 at the earth’s surface
where the pressure is 76 cm (mercury) and the temperature is 27°C. If this balloon
rises up to a height where the pressure is 7.6 cm (mercury) and the temperature is –
54°C, then what will be the volume of the gas there?
6. There are 4 x 1024 gas molecules in a vessel at 50 K temperature. The pressure of the
gas in the vessel is 0.03 atmospheric. Calculate the volume of the vessel.
7. Calculate the number of molecules, volume occupied by one molecule and the
average distance between two molecules in the 1.00 cm volume of gas at N.T.P.
8. Calculate the value of Boltzmann constant k. Given: R = 8.3 x 10 3 J (kmol)-1 K-1 and
Avogadro number N = 6.03 x 1026 (kmol)-1.
9. The volume of a gas at pressure 1.2 x 107 N m-2 and temperature 127°C is 2.0 litre.
Find the number of molecules in the gas.
10. Kinetic energy of oxygen molecule at 0°C is 5.64 x 10 -21 J. Calculate Avogadro’s
number.
11. The residual pressure in a vessel, which is evacuated at 27°C, is 10 -11 N m-2. Find the
number of molecules per cm still remaining in the vessel.
12. An electric bulb of volume 250 cm has been sealed at a pressure of 10 -3 mm of
mercury and temperature 27°C. Find the number of air molecules in the bulb. What is
the average distance between the molecules?
13. The temperature of a gas filled in a vessel is 273 K and the pressure is 1.60 x 10 -3 Nm-
2
. Determine: (i) number of molecules in unit volume of the vessel, (ii) average
distance between the molecules.
14. The velocities of ten molecules of any gas are v, 0, 2v, 4v, 3v, 2v, v, 3v, 5v, v.
Calculate their root-mean-square (rms) velocity.
15. A flask of volume 1 x 10-3 m3 contains 3.0 x 1012 oxygen molecules at a certain
temperature. The mass of one molecule of oxygen is 5.3 x 10-12 kg and the root-mean-
square velocity of its molecules at the same temperature is 400 m/s. Calculate the
pressure of the oxygen gas in the flask.
16. A vessel is filled with oxygen gas (molecular weight 32) at 0°C temperature and at 1
atmospheric pressure. What is the root-mean-square speed of the oxygen molecules?
17. The mass of a molecule of krypton is 2.25 times the mass of a hydrogen molecule. A
mixture of equal masses of these gas is enclosed in a vessel. Calculate at any constant
temperature the ratio of the root-mean-square velocities of the molecules of krypton
and hydrogen gases.
18. The density of a gas at normal pressure and 0°C temperature is 1.2 kg m -3. Calculate :
(i) the root-mean-square velocity of the molecules of the gas at 0°C, (ii) the
temperature at which the velocity will become three times the initial velocity (Normal
pressure = 1.0 x 105 N m-2).
19. The root-mean-square velocity of helium atoms at normal temperature and pressure is
1300 m s Calculate: (i) density of helium at 0°C, (ii) mass of the helium atom.
(Normal pressure = 1.01 x 105 N m-2)
20. The density of hydrogen at normal temperature and pressure is 0.09 kg m -3. What will
be the root-mean-square speed of its molecules? What of oxygen? Oxygen is 16 times
heavier than hydrogen.
21. The root-mean-square speed of oxygen molecules at a certain temperature is 150 m/s.
Calculate the root-mean-square speed of hydrogen molecules at the same temperature.
Molecular weights of oxygen and hydrogen are respectively 32 and 2.
22. What will be the ratio of the root -mean-square speeds of the molecules of an ideal
gas at 270 K and 30 K?
23. At what temperature will the root-mean-square velocity of molecules of a gas be
twice the root-mean-square velocity at 0°C? At what temperature 1.5 times?
24. At what temperature will the effective speed (root-mean-square speed) of oxygen
molecule be equal to the effective speed of nitrogen molecule at 0°C?
25. The root-mean-square speed of oxygen molecules at 0°C is 460 m/s. What will be the
speed of helium molecules at 40°C? Molecular weight of oxygen is 32 g mol -1 while
that of helium is 4 g mol-1.
26. At what temperature the kinetic energy of a molecule will be equal to 2.8 × 10 -20 J?
Boltzmann constant (k) = 1.4 x 10-23 J/K.
27. The temperature of a gas is 0°C. In each case to what temperature should it be heated
so that (i) the average kinetic energy of its molecule is doubled, (ii) the root-mean-
square velocity of its molecules is doubled?
28. If the kinetic energy of 1 mole of a gas at 27°C is 3400 J, what will be its value at
327°C?
29. The mean kinetic energy of 1 kg-mol of nitrogen at 27°C is 600 J. What will be its
mean kinetic energy at 127°C?
30. The average kinetic energy of a hydrogen molecules at 27°C is 9.3 x 10 -21 J. The mass
of hydrogen molecule is 3.1 x 10 -27 kg. Determine (i) the average kinetic energy at
227°C, (ii) the root-mean-square speed of hydrogen molecule at 27°C.
31. At what temperature will the average value of the kinetic energy of the molecule of a
gas be 1/3 of the average value of kinetic energy at 27°C?
32. If the temperature of air is increased from 27°C to 227°C, in what ratio will the
average kinetic energies of its molecules be increased?
33. The temperature of a gas is – 68°C. To what temperature should it be heated so that
(i) the average kinetic energy of the molecules be doubled, (ii) the root-mean-square
velocity of the molecules be doubled?
34. Up to what temperature should the hydrogen gas initially at 327°C be cooled so that
the root-mean-square velocity of its molecules becomes half of its initial value? The
pressure remains constant.
35. There are 6 × 1021 hydrogen molecules in a vessel of volume 200 cm3. Its temperature
is 27°C and the pressure is 105 N m-2. If the temperature be raised to 47°C, then in
what ratio the following quantities would change: (i) number of molecules per unit
volume, (ii) pressure of the gas in the vessel, (iii) average kinetic energy of hydrogen?
36. Calculate for hydrogen (molecular-weight = 2) at 27°C: (i) kinetic energy of one mole
of the gas, (ii) kinetic energy of one gram gas, (iii) root-mean-square velocity of the
molecules.
37. The first excited state of hydrogen atom is 10.2 eV higher than its ground state. At
what temperature will the hydrogen atom go from its ground state to the first excited
state? (1 eV = 1.6 x 10-19 J)
38. Find the average kinetic energy of a gas molecule of (i) monoatomic gas, (ii) diatomic
gas at 20°C. k = 1.38 x 10-23 J mol-1 K-1.