Study Guides/Chemistry/Method to Liquefy Atmospheric Gas
Study Guide · Chemistry

How to Liquefy Atmospheric Gas?

A common and important question in Class 9 Chemistry (Matter in Our Surroundings) is: 'Suggest a method to liquefy atmospheric gases.' Understanding how matter changes its state is crucial for answering this.

Question (Click to Flip)

Can you liquefy a gas just by increasing the pressure?

Answer

Not always. Every gas has a 'Critical Temperature'. If the gas is hotter than its critical temperature, it doesn't matter how much pressure you apply; it will never turn into a liquid. You must cool it down first.

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Key Facts

Solid Carbon Dioxide (Dry Ice) is formed when CO₂ gas is placed under extreme pressure. Interestingly, when you release that pressure at room temperature, it turns straight back into a gas without melting into a liquid first (Sublimation).

The Answer: Two-Step Method

To successfully liquefy an atmospheric gas (like Oxygen, Nitrogen, or Carbon Dioxide), you must simultaneously do two things:

  1. Increase the Pressure (Apply high pressure).
  2. Decrease the Temperature (Cool the gas).

Why does this work? (The Science)

The state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) depends entirely on the distance between its particles and their kinetic energy.

  • Increasing Pressure: When you apply high pressure to a gas using a piston inside a cylinder, you force the widely scattered gas particles to come very close together.
  • Decreasing Temperature: Even if particles are close together, if they are hot, they vibrate violently and push each other apart. By lowering the temperature, you remove their heat energy (kinetic energy). They slow down, stop vibrating violently, and the attractive forces between them take over, turning the gas into a liquid.

Real-Life Example: LPG and Liquid Oxygen

  • Petroleum gas is subjected to extreme pressure and cooled so it can be filled as a liquid into the red cylinders in your kitchen (LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas).
  • Hospitals use liquid oxygen, which is created by drastically cooling atmospheric oxygen down to -183°C.

Questions and Answers

Can you liquefy a gas just by increasing the pressure?+

Not always. Every gas has a 'Critical Temperature'. If the gas is hotter than its critical temperature, it doesn't matter how much pressure you apply; it will never turn into a liquid. You must cool it down first.

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