ABSTRACT
Phases of a compound or element (solid, liquid, gas) are determined by the balance between the strength of intermolecular forces and the average kinetic energy of the molecules. The gas phase is characterized by very weak attractive forces during which the average kinetic energy of motion dominates the physical properties of gases. The analysis of an ideal gas requires that gas molecules behave as independent particles: attractive forces between gas molecules are zero, and the volume occupied by the molecules is essentially zero as compared to the volume of the container that contains the gas (mostly empty space). Many chemical reactions have gases as either products or reactants. Stoichiometric problems involving gases may require gas laws to perform mole calculations. Gas mixtures are solutions (mixing is at the molecular level). All the different gas molecules in an ideal gas mixture behave as independent particles.
