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Chapter 11: Problem 114

Under the same conditions of temperature and density, which of the following gases would you expect to behave less ideally: \(\mathrm{CH}_{4}, \mathrm{SO}_{2} ?\) Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
SO2 (sulfur dioxide) is expected to behave less ideally than CH4 (methane) under the same conditions of temperature and density due to its larger size, complexity and its capability to form stronger intermolecular forces.

Step by step solution

01

Analysis of Methane (CH4)

Methane is a tetrahedral molecule. Its molar mass is 16.04 g/mol. The size of the methane molecule is relatively small, and thus the intermolecular attractions between methane molecules are minimal. Therefore, the behavior of CH4 is expected to be closer to the ideal gas behavior.
02

Analysis of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

Sulfur dioxide is a bent molecule. The molar mass of SO2 is 64 g/mol which is quite larger than that of methane. Furthermore, the SO2 molecules can form dipole-dipole interactions due to their polar nature. These interactions are stronger than those present in methane. Therefore, the intermolecular attractions between sulfur dioxide molecules are expected to be higher than for methane.
03

Compare the gases' behaviors

When comparing the behaviors of CH4 and SO2, SO2's larger size, more complex structure, as well as its ability to form dipole-dipole interactions means it is expected to have more intermolecular forces than CH4. More intermolecular forces leads to less ideal gas behavior. Therefore, under the same conditions of temperature and density, SO2 is expected to behave less ideally as compared to CH4.

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