Under which conditions of temperature and pressure does a real gas behave most like an ideal gas?

• A. High temperature and low pressure
• B. Low temperature and low pressure
• C. High temperature and high pressure
• D. Low temperature and high pressure

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that an ideal gas is a theoretical gas composed of many randomly moving point particles that interact only through elastic collisions, with no intermolecular forces and negligible molecular volume.
2. Understand that real gases deviate from ideal behavior due to intermolecular attractions and the finite volume of gas particles, especially at high pressures and low temperatures.
3. Recognize that at high temperatures, gas particles have more kinetic energy, which overcomes intermolecular attractions, making the gas behave more ideally.
4. Note that at low pressures, gas particles are far apart, so the volume of the particles themselves and intermolecular forces have less effect, again favoring ideal gas behavior.
5. Combine these insights to conclude that a real gas behaves most like an ideal gas under conditions of high temperature and low pressure.