Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Treat a nitrogen molecule as a ball of diameter nm. Nitrogen gas is at K. What fraction of the gas is filled by the molecules themselves at kPa? What fraction at MPa, the pressure in a full gas cylinder? Give both as percentages.
One mole holds particles, and . In a gas each molecule has a volume , and the average spacing is its cube root. In a liquid the volume for each molecule is .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. Divide the volume of one molecule by the volume that each molecule has in the gas.
Step 1. One molecule. .
Step 2. At kPa. . The fraction is , that is .
Step 3. At MPa. The pressure is times larger, so the room for each molecule is times smaller: . The fraction is , that is .
Answer: at kPa and at MPa.
What if? At the size of the molecules is no longer tiny. That is why a gas in a full cylinder is not quite ideal.
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