Question

At constant temperature, the behavior of a sample of a real gas more closely approximates that of an ideal gas as its volume is increased because the:

A) intermolecular forces become more significant.
B) molecular collisions become more frequent.
C) molecular collisions become less frequent.
D) gas particles are pushed closer together.

Answer 1

Increasing the volume of a real gas at constant temperature more closely approximates ideal gas behavior because intermolecular forces diminish and molecular collisions become less frequent.

Step-by-step explanation:

At constant temperature, the behavior of a sample of a real gas more closely approximates that of an ideal gas as its volume is increased because the intermolecular forces become less significant, not more significant. In a real gas, when volume increases, the particles move farther apart. This increased distance reduces the relative impact of intermolecular forces. Therefore, the gases behave more like an ideal gas, where these forces are assumed to be negligible. Also, as volume increases, the space between the particles increases, and molecular collisions become less frequent, not more frequent. The particles are not pushed closer together; instead, they are more spread out within the container.