Molecular interactions

Real gases show deviations from the perfect gas law because molecules interact with one another. Repulsive forces between molecules assist expansion and attractive forces assist compression. Repulsive forces are significant only when molecules are almost in contact: they are short-range interactions, even on a scale measured in molecular diameters (Fig. 1.13). Because they are short-range interactions, repulsions can be expected to be important only when the average separation of the molecules is small. This is the case at high pressure, when many molecules occupy a small volume. On the other hand, attractive intermolecular forces have a relatively long range and are effective over several molecular diameters. They are important when the molecules are fairly close together but not necessarily touching (at the intermediate separations in Fig. 1.13). Attractive forces are ineffective when the molecules are far apart (well to the right in Fig. 1.13). Intermolecular forces are also important when the temperature is so low that the molecules travel with such low mean speeds that they can be captured by one another. At low pressures, when the sample occupies a large volume, the molecules are so far apart for most of the time that the intermolecular forces play no significant role, and the gas behaves virtually perfectly. At moderate pressures, when the average separation of the molecules is only a few molecular diameters, the attractive forces dominate the repulsive forces. In this case, the gas can be expected to be more compressible than a perfect gas because the forces help to draw the molecules together. At high pressures, when the average separation of the molecules is small, the repulsive forces dominate and the gas can be expected to be less compressible because now the forces help to drive the molecules apart.

Fig. 1.13 The variation of the potential energy of two molecules on their separation. High positive potential energy (at very small separations) indicates that the interactions between them are strongly repulsive at these distances. At intermediate separations, where the potential energy is negative, the attractive interactions dominate. At large separations (on the right) the potential energy is zero and there is no interaction between the molecules.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

الهيأة العليا وجمعية العميد تعقدان اجتماعا لمناقشة آليات التعاون العلمي المشترك

لتقديم الدعم النفسي والمعنوي قسم الشؤون الطبية يزور أطفال مرضى السرطان في مستشفى الإمام الحسن (عليه السلام)

قسم الشؤون الفكرية يهدي إصداراته الحديثة إلى مكاتب المراجع وعدد من المؤسسات في بابل

عبر مركز الكفيل للصحة والسلامة.. قسم الشؤون الطبية يستأنف ورش الإسعافات الأوّلية للمنتسبين

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

سرّ بسيط لصحة القلب.. أطعمة تخفض الكوليسترول خلال أسابيع

سبب خفي لإعتام عدسة العين ؟

عوامل خفية تسرّع شيخوخة الدماغ

أسباب الرغبة الشديدة في تناول الحلويات والأطعمة النشوية

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

كندا تصنع كاسحة جليد من جيل جديد

رواد "أرتيميس 2" يكشفون تفاصيل حياتهم في الفضاء

حفريات صينية تكشف كائنات بحرية عاشت قبل 546 مليون عام

روسيا تطلق صاروخ "سويوز-2.1 إيه" من قاعدة بليسيتسك الفضائية

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Units

Names of quantities

Working galvanic cells

Electrolysis

Experimental techniques

The rate laws

The electric potential at the interface

The structure of the interface

Catalytic activity at surfaces

Mechanisms of heterogeneous catalysis

Mobility on surfaces

The rate of desorption