Unit 10: Properties of Gases
Reading
BJU Chemistry: Ch. 10 "Gases"
AP Chem: Zumdahl Chemistry, Ch. 5 "Gases"
Topics
Labs
Carbon Dioxide lab
Sulfur compounds lab
PhET "Gas Properties" weblab
Case Study
Deserted Island Water Supply
BJU Chemistry: Ch. 10 "Gases"
AP Chem: Zumdahl Chemistry, Ch. 5 "Gases"
Topics
- Properties of gases
- Ideal gases
- Gas laws
- Partial pressures
Labs
Carbon Dioxide lab
Sulfur compounds lab
PhET "Gas Properties" weblab
Case Study
Deserted Island Water Supply

9._gases_class_noteas.docx |
Below: A simple experiment which proves that air contains oxygen. As the oxygen is used up, the egg is sucked into the flask. Can you write the chemical equation for combustion in this experiment?
Lecture topics
We will spend the next two sessions on states of matter - gases, liquids, and solids. All chemistry courses begin with gases because that's the easiest, and the one which people (Priestly, Lavoisier, Dalton) started studying 200+ years ago.
Carbon Dioxide Lab
We will spend the next two sessions on states of matter - gases, liquids, and solids. All chemistry courses begin with gases because that's the easiest, and the one which people (Priestly, Lavoisier, Dalton) started studying 200+ years ago.
- Kinetic theory of gases
- Pressure-volume-temperature concepts
- The gas laws: Boyle's, Charles', Guy-Lussac's
- The combined gas law
- The ideal gas law
Carbon Dioxide Lab

co2_lab_handout.pdf |
Sulfur Compounds Lab

sulfur_compounds_lab_handout.pdf |
Gas Properties weblab

9._gas_properties_weblab_2023.docx |
Homework
2022: The Gas Laws problems are now in Canvas as a multiple choice exercise.
2022: The Gas Laws problems are now in Canvas as a multiple choice exercise.
Deserted Island Water Supply Scenario
Research and submit a 1-1/2 to 2 page report on the following – “On the way home from delivering emergency food & medical supplies to a remote Island Chain, your plane goes down and you & your friends parachute onto a deserted island. You quickly discover that your only source of drinking water is a large pond with smelly and suspicious-looking water. You suspect it contains 1) decaying organic matter - plants, leaves, dead things, etc., 2) dissolved copper from an abandoned copper smelter which operated for 50 years without an environmental permit, and 3) fecal waste and microbes from large numbers of sea birds which frequent the island. How can you purify the water enough to drink? Assume you have a fully-stocked chemistry lab - plus an assortment of tanks, pumps, piping, valves, duct tape, glue, wire, scrap metal & wood & plastic, and an electric generator which can be salvaged from your wrecked plane. You cannot use Reverse Osmosis or any off-the-shelf type of purifier. Start by doing Internet research on removing each of these contaminants. They're not difficult to treat; you just need to do some research. Then design and sketch a small treatment plant - using only the supplies listed - with a description of any chemicals used, the processes employed, and any equipment needed for the overall process. Include as many labelled sketches as needed to describe the treatment process.”
Research and submit a 1-1/2 to 2 page report on the following – “On the way home from delivering emergency food & medical supplies to a remote Island Chain, your plane goes down and you & your friends parachute onto a deserted island. You quickly discover that your only source of drinking water is a large pond with smelly and suspicious-looking water. You suspect it contains 1) decaying organic matter - plants, leaves, dead things, etc., 2) dissolved copper from an abandoned copper smelter which operated for 50 years without an environmental permit, and 3) fecal waste and microbes from large numbers of sea birds which frequent the island. How can you purify the water enough to drink? Assume you have a fully-stocked chemistry lab - plus an assortment of tanks, pumps, piping, valves, duct tape, glue, wire, scrap metal & wood & plastic, and an electric generator which can be salvaged from your wrecked plane. You cannot use Reverse Osmosis or any off-the-shelf type of purifier. Start by doing Internet research on removing each of these contaminants. They're not difficult to treat; you just need to do some research. Then design and sketch a small treatment plant - using only the supplies listed - with a description of any chemicals used, the processes employed, and any equipment needed for the overall process. Include as many labelled sketches as needed to describe the treatment process.”

8._deserted_island_water_supply_scenario.docx |