In the van der Waals equation, the constant a corrects for
Correct answer: B. the intermolecular forces of attraction
- A. the volume occupied by the gas molecules
- B. the intermolecular forces of attraction
- C. the number of moles present
- D. the temperature of the gas
Explanation
The term involving a raises the measured pressure to what it would have been without attractions pulling molecules away from the wall, so a is larger for gases that are easily liquefied. The constant b is the excluded volume correction for the finite size of the molecules. Moles and temperature already appear explicitly in the equation.
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About Real and Ideal Gases
An ideal gas is modelled as particles with negligible volume and no intermolecular attraction, obeying Boyle's, Charles's and Avogadro's laws through PV = nRT. Real gases deviate from this behaviour, especially at high pressure and low temperature, because particle volume and attractive forces matter; the van der Waals equation explains these corrections.
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