9.2: The Ideal Gas Law

Describe the properties of an ideal gas.

The classical model of an ideal gas assumes that the instantaneous directions of molecules are not uniform, the volume of the molecules are negligible compared to the total volume occupied by the gas, the molecules collide elastically, and the only appreciable forces on the molecules are those that occur during collisions. 

An ideal gas is one in which the relationships between the gas’s pressure, volume, and temperature can be modeled using the equation

Graphs modeling the pressure, temperature, and volume of gases can be used to describe or determine properties of that gas.

A value of temperature at which an ideal gas has zero pressure can be extrapolated from a given pressure vs. temperature graph.