Which of the following is a common unit for the ideal gas constant R in the Ideal Gas Law?

• A. J mol^{-1} K^{-1}
• B. kg m^2 s^{-2} K^{-1}
• C. Pa L mol^{-1} K^{-1}
• D. L atm mol^{-1} K^{-1}

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the Ideal Gas Law formula: \(PV = nRT\), where \(P\) is pressure, \(V\) is volume, \(n\) is moles of gas, \(R\) is the ideal gas constant, and \(T\) is temperature in Kelvin.
2. Understand that the units of \(R\) depend on the units used for pressure, volume, amount of substance, and temperature in the equation.
3. Common units for pressure include atmospheres (atm) and pascals (Pa), for volume liters (L) or cubic meters (m^3), for amount moles (mol), and for temperature Kelvin (K).
4. The ideal gas constant \(R\) is often expressed in units that combine these, such as \(\mathrm{L\,atm\,mol^{-1}\,K^{-1}}\), which matches the units of pressure (atm), volume (L), amount (mol), and temperature (K) in the equation.
5. Therefore, among the options, the unit \(\mathrm{L\,atm\,mol^{-1}\,K^{-1}}\) is the common and correct unit for \(R\) in the Ideal Gas Law.