Which of the following is NOT accounted for in the ideal gas law?

• A. Volume occupied by the gas container
• B. Intermolecular forces between gas particles
• C. Pressure exerted by the gas
• D. Temperature of the gas

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the ideal gas law is given by the equation \(PV = nRT\), where \(P\) is pressure, \(V\) is volume, \(n\) is the number of moles, \(R\) is the ideal gas constant, and \(T\) is temperature.
2. Understand that the ideal gas law assumes gas particles have negligible volume and do not exert forces on each other, meaning it treats gas particles as point particles with no intermolecular interactions.
3. Identify that the volume \(V\) in the ideal gas law refers to the volume of the container holding the gas, not the volume of the gas particles themselves.
4. Recognize that pressure \(P\) in the ideal gas law is the force per unit area exerted by gas particles colliding with the container walls, which is accounted for in the equation.
5. Note that temperature \(T\) reflects the average kinetic energy of gas particles and is directly included in the ideal gas law, but intermolecular forces between gas particles are not considered in this model.