Several properties of gases can be experimentally measured: temperature, pressure, volume, and the amount of the gas (i.e., the number of moles). The ideal gas law states the relationship between these properties, or variables, in a mathematical formula.
The ideal gas law is PV = nRT.
P is the pressure in atmospheres (atm), V is the volume in liters (L), n is the number of moles, R is the gas constant (0.0821 L∙atm/(mol∙K)), and T is the temperature in Kelvins (K).
Consider the following conditions: 4.5 moles of helium gas exist under 2.2 atm of pressure and a temperature of 45 °C.
Assume you are going to use the ideal gas law to solve for the unknown variable.
What variable are you solving for?
Are all of variables in the correct units? If not, which variable needs to be converted to the correct units?
We are solving for the volume (V) in liters.
The temperature needs to be converted to Kelvins by adding 273 to the Celsius temperature. So, 45 °C = 45 + 273 = 318 K.