How to Find the Volume of Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical with the atomic formula CO2. It is odorless, colorless and nonflammable. Carbon dioxide exists as a gas at all pressure and temperature combinations found on the surface of the Earth, except those created artificially. Gases exist in a physical state in which the molecules of a chemical have a negligible effect on each other. The molecules are spaced far apart and are evenly dispersed. Gases have the properties of density, mass and volume. Any two of these properties can be used to calculate the third.

Instructions

1. Find the mass of your carbon dioxide in grams. This will be given to you in the problem.

2. Divide the mass by 44 (the molar mass of carbon dioxide) to obtain the number of moles of gas.

3. Find the temperature in degrees Kelvin. The conversion from temperature in Celsius to Kelvin is K=C+273. The conversion from temperature in Fahrenheit to Celsius is C=(F-32)*5/9.

4. Find the pressure of your gas in atm (atmospheric pressures). Again, this information will be given to you.

5. Multiply the number of mols by the temperature in degrees Kelvin. Multiply the resulting by the constant 0.0821, and divide by the pressure. This will give you the volume in liters. The formula used is PV=nRT; where P is pressure in atms; V is volume in liters; n is number of moles of gas; R is 0.0821, and T is temperature in degrees Kelvin.

References

• Clinton Community College; PVnRT; Michael Lawliss
• Lenntech; Carbon Dioxide