Gas Laws Reference

Ideal gas law, Boyle, Charles, Gay-Lussac, and Avogadro — with real-gas corrections.

Reference Reference Updated Apr 19, 2026
Reference

Named laws

Law Relation Held constant
Boyle's law P · V = const T, n
Charles' law V / T = const P, n
Gay-Lussac's law P / T = const V, n
Avogadro's law V / n = const P, T
Combined gas law P · V / T = const n
Ideal gas law P V = n R T

Constants and conversions

R (gas constant)
8.314 J/(mol·K) = 0.08206 L·atm/(mol·K)
Molar volume at STP
22.414 L/mol (0 °C, 1 atm)
Molar volume at NTP
24.466 L/mol (20 °C, 1 atm)
Standard atmosphere
101 325 Pa = 1 atm = 760 mmHg = 14.696 psi
Temperature scales
T(K) = T(°C) + 273.15

Real-gas corrections

Compressibility factor Z
PV = Z · n R T. Z = 1 for ideal, < 1 at moderate P, > 1 at very high P
Van der Waals
(P + a n²/V²)(V − nb) = nRT
Critical point
Above T_c no amount of pressure liquefies the gas

Notes

  • Ideal gas law is accurate for air at ordinary conditions. Deviations appear near critical points, at high pressure, or for polar gases.
  • Partial pressure: P_total = ΣP_i; each component's partial pressure is its mole fraction × total pressure.

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