E2.4 van der Waals Equation PVT

Example 2.4 A gas follows van der Waals equation of state. Calculate its specific volume at 78.95 atm and 100 °K. The following data are provided. a = 1.39 L²·atm/mol² , b = 0.03913 L

Solution

Number of moles, n = 1

Van der Waals equation of state (Equation 2.8):

Function F(V) (Equation 2.11):

Derivative F'(V) (Equation 2.12):

Initial guess, V₀ (Equation 2.1):

V_i (Equation 2.13)

Specific volume, V = 0.054 L/mol.