The density of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas at Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP) can be calculated using the ideal gas law and the molar mass of the gas.
At STP, the temperature is 0 degrees Celsius (273.15 K) and the pressure is 1 atm. The ideal gas law states:
PV = nRT
Where:
- P = pressure (in atm)
- V = volume (in liters)
- n = number of moles of gas
- R = ideal gas constant (0.0821 L·atm/(K·mol))
- T = temperature (in Kelvin)
The molar mass of CO2 is approximately 44.01 g/mol. To find the density, we can rearrange the ideal gas law to find the density formula:
Density (ρ) = mass/volume = (n × molar mass) / V
At STP, 1 mole of any gas occupies 22.4 liters. This means:
Density of CO2 = (1 mol × 44.01 g/mol) / 22.4 L
Calculating this gives:
Density of CO2 = 44.01 g / 22.4 L ≈ 1.96 g/L
The density of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas at STP is approximately 1.96 grams per liter.