Question

In addition to intermolecular forces affecting liquid properties, they also influence gas properties but to a smaller degree. One property that is influenced for a gas is the pressure. Intermolecular forces make the molecules attracted to one another which will affect the pressure that they exert on the container walls. This is one of the reasons why not all real gases act "ideally" and why the ideal gas law is not 100% accurate. Consider that you have one rigid container filled with 1 mole of O2 gas and another rigid container filled with 1 mole of Cl2 gas, both of which have the same volume and temperature. Which gas is expected to have a higher pressure and why?
a. O2, because it has stronger intermolecular forces
b. O2, because it has weaker intermolecular forces
c. Cl2, because it has stronger intermolecular forces
d. Cl2, because it has weaker intermolecular forces

Answer 1

Answer:

b) O2, because it has weaker intermolecular forces

Explanation:

The preassure is produced by the collisions of the gas molecules with the walls of its container.

When the intermolecular forces between the gas molecules increase, those molecules start to "slow down" by effect of the interactions. The collisions decrease in frequency and intensity producing a smaller preassure in the container.

Both O2 and Cl2 are non-polar gases and the only intermolecular forces they have are the London ones. Given that the O2 molecules are smaller than the Cl2, the last ones attract each other with more strengh.

Being all that said, the container with the oxygen is expected to have a higher preassure.