Question

Which one of the following statements is correct?

a. Between the volume of the Cl₂ molecules and the attractive forces of them, the first one is the major reason for deviation from ideal behavior, since its magnitude is larger.
b. Between the volume of the Cl₂ molecules and the attractive forces of them, the second one is the major reason for deviation from ideal behavior, since its magnitude is larger.
c. Between the volume of the Cl₂ molecules and the attractive forces of them, both are the reasons for deviation from ideal behavior.
d. Between the volume of the Cl₂ molecules and the attractive forces of them, none of them has any effect on the deviation from ideal behavior.
e. Alongside the volume of the Cl₂ molecules and the attractive forces of them, the A and B constants are also important.

Answer 1

The correct answer is that the attractive forces between Cl₂ molecules are a major reason for their deviation from ideal behavior at low pressures, whereas at high pressures, the volume of the molecules becomes significant.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement regarding the reason for the deviation of Cl₂ molecules from ideal behavior is b. Between the volume of the Cl₂ molecules and the attractive forces of them, the second one is the major reason for deviation from ideal behavior, since its magnitude is larger.

At low pressures, the correction for intermolecular attraction, represented by the "a" constant, is significant because the attractive forces bring molecules closer, affecting the compressibility of the gas. Conversely, at high pressures and low volumes, the finite volume of the molecules, represented by the "b" constant in the Van der Waals equation, becomes significant. This is because the space the molecules occupy cannot be compressed, leading to a decrease in compressibility. The interplay between these two factors – the attractive forces and the finite volume of the molecules – leads to deviations from ideal behavior.