An ideal gas in a sealed container has an initial volume of 2.40 L. At constant pressure, it is cooled to 25.00 ∘C, where its final volume is 1.75 L. What was the initial temperature?

Question

An ideal gas in a sealed container has an initial volume of  At constant pressure, it is cooled to  where its final volume is  What was the initial temperature?

Answer 1

At constant pressure, the volume of an ideal gas is proportional to the absolute temperature. The following equation can be set up

V1/V2 = T1/T2 where V1 is the initial volume, V2 the final volume, T1 the initial temperature, T2 the final temperature.

As we want to calculate the initial temperature, solve the equation for T1 and substitute the given values for the other parameters. Note that Celsius temperature must be converted to absolute temperature by adding 273 to the Celsius temperature.

T1 = 2.4L x 298 K/ 1.75L = 409 deg K or 136 deg C