Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2023

First exams 2025

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The Gaseous State: Ideal & Real Gases & pV = nRT (CIE A Level Chemistry)

Topic Questions

1a4 marks

This question is about gases.

i)
Describe the arrangement and movement of particles in a gas.

[3]

ii)
Explain why gases exert a pressure.

[1]

1b1 mark
As the volume of a gas is changed, the pressure of the gas changes. A graph of the volume of gas against 1 over pressure at constant temperature is shown in Fig. 1.1.

1-4-1b-e-temp-vs-1pressure

Fig. 1.1

What relationship does the graph in Fig. 1.1 show between the volume of gas and pressure at constant temperature?

1c2 marks

Changing the temperature of a gas, at a constant volume, will affect the volume of the gas.
 
Draw the relationship between the temperature and the volume of the gas on Fig 1.2.

 

1-4-1d-e-temp-vs-pressure-a

Fig. 1.2

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2a2 marks

Two assumptions made about ideal gas behaviour are that ideal gases have zero particle volume and no intermolecular forces of attraction

Explain why helium comes very close to ideal gas behaviour.

2b6 marks

The ideal gas equation is pV = nRT where R is the molar gas constant with a value of 8.31 J K–1 mol–1.

Explain as fully as you can the meaning of the following terms, and give the units for each to correspond with the value of R.

p ..............................................................................................
  ..............................................................................................
V ..............................................................................................
  ..............................................................................................
T ..............................................................................................
  ..............................................................................................

2c
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3 marks

Calculate the volume, in dm3, of one mole of helium gas at 10 °C and 92.0 kPa.
Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
Show your working.



volume of one mole of helium gas = ............................................... dm3

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1a
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1 mark

Phosphine, PH3, is a gas formed by heating phosphorous acid, H3PO3, in the absence of air.

4H3PO3 (s) → PH3 (g) + 3H3PO(s)

 

State the shape and bond angle in PH3 (g).

1b
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3 marks

3.45 × 10−2 mol of H3PO3 is completely decomposed at 100 kPa pressure and 210 °C.

 

Calculate the volume occupied, in cm3, by the phosphine gas produced.

1c
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3 marks

1.85 g of white phosphorus was reacted with 75.00 cm3 of 1.25 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide solution to make phosphine.

P(s) + 3OH− (aq) + 3H2O (l) → PH(g) + 3H2PO2− (aq)

Deduce which chemical is the limiting reagent.  

1d
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1 mark

Use the information in part (c) to calculate the volume, in cm3, of phosphine that was produced at room temperature and pressure.  Give your answer to three significant figures.

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2a
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2 marks

Oxygen exists as a diatomic gas, O2 (g). A sample of O2 (g) was made during a chemical reaction. When measured at 303 kPa and 28 °C the sample occupied a volume of 95.0 cm3.

Calculate the mass of oxygen formed.

 

For this calculation, assume that oxygen behaves as an ideal gas under these conditions.

2b
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2 marks

Calculate the number of electrons involved in the bonding of this sample of oxygen. You may find it helpful to use your answer to (a).

2c2 marks

O2 (g) does not behave as an ideal gas under these conditions. 

 

Explain why O2 (g) behaves even less ideally at:

  • very high pressures
  • very low temperatures
2d
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1 mark

The homologous series of alkanes undergo combustion with oxygen.

 

A 2.0 dm3 flask contains 10.84 g of a gaseous alkane, X. The pressure in the flask is 300 kPa and the temperature is 20 oC.

 

Write an equation for the complete combustion of X.

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3a3 marks

Airbags are safety devices fitted to modern cars. They are designed to rapidly inflate in the event of a collision, in order to protect the occupants of the car from the effects of the impact, and then quickly deflate.

The inflation of an airbag depends on the chemical decomposition of sodium azide, NaN3.

The azide ion, N3, contains one triple bond. Draw a ‘dot-and-cross’ diagram to show the arrangement of outer electrons present in an azide ion.

3b3 marks

Suggest three properties of sodium azide. Explain your answer.

3c5 marks

550 g of sodium azide, sodium hydroxide and ammonia were produced during the chemical reaction of sodium amide, NaNH2, and dinitrogen monoxide. The yield of sodium azide in this reaction was 95.0%.

 

Calculate the mass, in grams, of sodium amide required for this reaction.

3d
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4 marks

In a serious collision, the airbag deploys and rapidly fills with nitrogen as sodium azide decomposes.

 

2NaN3 (s) → 2Na (s) + 3N2 (g)

 

Calculate the mass of sodium azide that must decompose in order to inflate an airbag to a volume of 7.50 × 10−2 m3 at a pressure of 150 kPa and temperature of 35 °C.

3e
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5 marks

Sodium azide is toxic. It can be destroyed by reacting it with acidified nitrous acid, HNO2

 
i)
Balance the chemical equation for the reaction of sodium azide with acidified nitrous acid 
 
2NaN3 + ...HNO2 + ...HCl → ...N2 + ...NO + ...NaCl + 2H2O  
 
[2]
 
ii)
Calculate the volume of gas released, in dm3, when 250 cm3 volume of nitrous acid is used to destroy 75.0 g of sodium azide at room temperature and pressure.
 
[3]

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1a4 marks

This question is about ideal gas theory. 

State the basic assumptions of the kinetic theory as applied to an ideal gas.

1b1 mark

Carbon dioxide does not behave as an ideal gas. 


Suggest one reason why not. 

1c2 marks

Explain why CO2 is a gas at room temperature.

1d3 marks

Carbon dioxide can be used to inflate life jackets. 

Explain the effect of decreasing the temperature of carbon dioxide on the pressure inside a life jacket.

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2a2 marks

The kinetic theory of gases is used to explain the large scale (macroscopic) properties of gases by considering how individual molecules behave.

State two basic assumptions of the kinetic theory as applied to an ideal gas.

2b2 marks

State two conditions under which the behaviour of a real gas approaches that of an ideal gas.

2c3 marks

Place the following gases in decreasing order of ideal behaviour.

ammonia, neon, nitrogen

most ideal .......................................................................................... least ideal

Explain your answer.

2d2 marks

Explain why a liquid eventually becomes a gas as the temperature is increased.

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3a3 marks

When magnesium reacts with hydrochloric acid, the following reaction occurs:

Mg (s) + 2HCl (aq) → MgCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)  

During the reaction, the hydrogen produced occupies 103 cm3 at 25.0 degreeC and 100 kPa. 

Calculate the amount, in moles, of hydrogen gas produced during the reaction. 





.................................... moles

3b2 marks

Using your answer to part (a), calculate the exact volume in cm3 of 0.15 mol dm-3 HCl, which would be needed to produce that amount of hydrogen gas. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.




volume = ..................... cm3

3c2 marks

A student completed the same reaction as in part (a), using 3.75 g of magnesium. 

Calculate the mass, in grams, of magnesium chloride produced by the student during this reaction.


mass magnesium chloride = ....................... g

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