Kinetic Molecular Theory of Gases

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on the kinetic molecular theory of gases.

Kinetic-Molecular Theory

A group of assumptions that explain the behavior of gases, including particles moving at random with no attractive forces, negligible gas particle volume, average kinetic energy proportional to Kelvin temperature, and elastic collisions.

Ideal Gas

A gas that obeys all the assumptions of the kinetic-molecular theory.

Charles Law

As temperature increases, volume increases to maintain constant pressure by spreading collisions over a greater surface area.

Avogadro’s Law

Increasing the number of moles causes more particles to hit the wall; to keep pressure constant, the volume must increase.

Dalton’s Law

Each gas in a mixture exerts pressure as per its mole fraction.

Root-Mean-Square Speed (urms)

The speed of a molecule or gas particle having the average kinetic energy of the particles in the sample. Increases with temperature and decreases with molar mass.

Diffusion

The process of a collection of molecules spreading out from high concentration to low concentration.

Effusion

The process by which a collection of molecules escapes through a small hole into a vacuum or an evacuated space.

Graham’s Law of Effusion

For two gases at the same temperature and pressure in containers with identical pinholes, the rate of effusion is inversely proportional to the square root of their molar masses. Lighter gases effuse more quickly.