Explain why a real gas behaves more like an ideal gas at high temperature and low pressure.

IB DP Chemistry Standard Level (2023 syllabus) — S1.5 Ideal gases · Explain · 4 marks · View as Markdown

Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).

Model answer (4 marks)

At high temperature the molecules have a large average kinetic energy, so the kinetic energy is much greater than the potential energy of intermolecular attractions.
At low pressure the average distance between molecules is large, so the molecules are far apart and the intermolecular forces become negligible.
Because the kinetic energy dominates, the motion of the molecules is essentially the same as for an ideal gas, where only elastic collisions are considered.
Thus a real gas behaves more like an ideal gas when the temperature is high and the pressure is low.

Examiner tips

  • Use the phrase "average kinetic energy" and "potential energy of intermolecular attractions". Show the link between high temperature → high KE and low pressure → large intermolecular distance. Remember to mention that the forces become negligible, giving ideal‑gas behaviour.

Common mistakes

  • Failing to mention both temperature and pressure effects. Using vague terms like "more ideal" without explaining the energy comparison. Omitting the idea that kinetic energy dominates over potential energy.

Mark scheme (4 marks)

  1. At low pressure, the average distance between molecules is large / molecules are far apart
  2. Intermolecular forces / attractions between molecules become negligible / insignificant when molecules are far apart
  3. At high temperature, molecules have high (average) kinetic energy
  4. The kinetic energy is much greater than the potential energy of intermolecular attractions, so intermolecular forces have negligible effect on the motion of molecules

Key terms in this question

ideal gas · real gas

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