Final answer:
The liquid displacement method is inaccurate for measuring gas volume because gases may dissolve in the liquid or chemically react with it. While gas volume is also variable, this can be controlled under lab conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The liquid displacement method does not yield accurate results for measuring the volume of a gas primarily due to two factors:
- Gases may readily dissolve in a liquid, which means that when you try to measure a gas using a liquid, some of the gas could dissolve into the liquid and would not be accounted for in the volume measurement.
- Gases may chemically react with the liquid, changing both the composition and the amount of the gas, thereby affecting the accuracy of the volume measurement.
Moreover, gas volume is always variable; it changes with pressure and temperature. However, this point is not a direct reason for the inaccuracy of the liquid displacement method, as the method could be used in a controlled environment that maintains constant temperature and pressure to contain the gas. It's the potential dissolution and reaction with the displacement liquid that are the main issues.