slevey,+boyle's+law.

boyle's law: the pressure-volume relationship.
in 1662, robert boyle discovered that there was a relationship between pressure and temperature, and how it affects volume. the law states that the volume of a fixed mass of gas varies inversely with the pressure at constant temperature. in other words, when you shrink volume, pressure increases [the inverse is also true] if temperature is constant.

[diagram showing the relationship between pressure and volume.]

//this is how the law is expressed//: P1V1 = P2V2.

P1 = initial pressure, P2 = final pressure. V1 = initial volume, V2 = final volume.

a sample of oxygen gas has a volume of 150mL when its pressure is .947 atm. what will the volume of the gas be at a pressure of .987 atm if the temperature remains constant?
 * here's an example problem**:

//okay, first you should fill in your variables//: P1 = .974 atm. P2 = .987 atm. V1 = 150 mL. V2 = unknown mL.

//now, we'll have to rearrange boyle's law [P1V1 = P2V2] so that V1, our unknown, is isolated. it should look like this//: __P1V1__ = V2 P2

//so now we have our unknown isolated. fill in the variables with their correct values//: __(.947 atm)(150 ml)__ = 144 ml of O2 = V2. .987 atm

when the pressure is increased slightly at constant temperature, the volume decreases respectively. [problem from page 370 of the chemistry textbook.]



[robert boyle.] back to the main page.