The Gaseous State

Learn and apply The Gaseous State in the published Chemistry course sequence.

  • GCE A-Level H2 Chemistry 9476-2027
Learning goals
  • Ideal Gas Model and pV = nRT
  • Dalton’s Law and Partial Pressures
  • Real Gases and Deviations

What You’ll Learn

  • State the basic kinetic-theory assumptions for an ideal gas.
  • Use pV = nRT with consistent units, including determining relative molecular mass, Mᵣ.
  • Apply Dalton’s law to determine partial pressures in gas mixtures.
  • Explain why gases approach ideal behaviour at low pressure and high temperature, and why the model is limited at very high pressure and very low temperature.
H2-only topic

The Gaseous State is prescribed in H2 9476. H1 8873 uses reacting gas volumes within Stoichiometry but does not require the general gas equation as a topic.

  1. Ideal Gas Model and pV = nRT — learn the model assumptions, unit discipline and Mᵣ workflow.
  2. Dalton’s Law and Partial Pressures — separate a total pressure into component pressures before calculating.
  3. Real Gases and Deviations — identify which ideal assumption fails under extreme conditions.

Follow this order on a first pass. For revision, choose the lesson matching the evidence in the question: equation data, a mixture, or a deviation from ideality.

Quick Reference

Question evidenceFirst moveEssential check
one gas with p, V, Tuse pV = nRTT in K; p and V match R
mass and gas datafind n, then M = m/nreport Mᵣ without a unit
gas mixtureuse pᵢ = xᵢ pₜₒₜₐₗ∑ xᵢ = 1 and ∑ pᵢ = pₜₒₜₐₗ
gas collected over watersubtract p_H₂Ouse the dry-gas pressure in pV = nRT
low pressure, high temperaturegas approaches idealityparticles are far apart; attractions matter less
very low temperatureattractions become significantpressure may be below the ideal prediction
very high pressuremolecular volume becomes significantfree volume is smaller than container volume

Useful unit identity: 1 kPa dm³ = 1 J, so R = 8.31 is consistent with kPa and dm³ as well as Pa and m³.

Hub Quiz

Check the whole topic

Use the Gaseous State hub quiz after all three lessons. For written working and explanation practice, continue to structured Gaseous State practice.

Practise

Work through questions with marking and feedback as you learn.

About 10 minutes

Questions are picked at random each time you start. You'll see the answer after each question. It's for practice only and doesn't count towards mastery.

Recent attempts

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Practise after feedback

After a check, practise the skills it showed you need to work on.

About 10 minutes

Questions are picked at random each time you start. You'll see the answer after each question. It's for practice only and doesn't count towards mastery.

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Check what I know

Start here to see which parts you already know.

About 8 minutes

Answer 3 short questions. It shows what to work on next and doesn't count towards mastery.

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Check my progress

When you feel ready, answer on your own to show what you can do.

About 10 minutes

Answer 3 questions. You'll see your score, the answers and explanations at the end. Your result can count towards your course progress.

Recent attempts

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Check again

After practising what your progress check showed, check those skills again.

About 10 minutes

Answer 3 questions. You'll see your score, the answers and explanations at the end. Your result can count towards your course progress.

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No completed attempts are saved yet.

Review

Come back later to see whether your learning has lasted.

About 10 minutes

Answer 3 questions. You'll see your score, the answers and explanations at the end. A scheduled review counts towards your course progress only when it is due.

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Connections and targeted revision

Use Gaseous State reasoning again in Chemical Equilibria, where gaseous mixtures are expressed through partial pressures and Kₚ.

If one error persists, return to the matching lesson rather than rereading the whole hub:

  • units or Mᵣ → Ideal Gas Model;
  • mole fraction or wet gas → Dalton’s Law;
  • failed assumptions → Real Gases and Deviations.