Amadeo Avogadro was born in Turin on June the 9th 1776. In 1796 Avogadro graduated in ecclesiastical law at university. After his graduation he dedicated his further studies to maths and physics and soon after began teaching natural sciences at a small college/ high school near the university that he had graduated from in Vericelli. He continued being a professor at the college until the age of 74 and died a few years later on July the 9th 1856 (Amedeo Avogadro Biography, 2013). A major contribution Avogadro gave to chemistry was the theory behind ‘Avogadro’s Number. Avogadro believed that particles could be composed of smaller units called molecules and that those molecules could contain even smaller units called atoms. We know today that Avogadro’s number is the number of molecules in a mole (or one gram in molecular weight) which turns out to be 6.023x1023. Avogadro’s Number was discovered by physicist Jean Perrin who through multiple experiments and calculations discovered the exact number (Blamire, 2001`).
While in Vericelli, Avogadro wrote notes on his hypothesis which is known today as Avogadro’s Law. Avogadro’s law (the volume amount law): “Gives the relationship between volume and amount when pressure and temperature are held constant” and “If the amount of gas in a container is increased, the volume increases. If the amount of gas in a container is decreased, the volume decreases” (quotes sourced from http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/gases.html ). Avogadro’s Law wasn’t fully accepted by people until an Italian chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro was able to show that this law didn’t apply to some organic chemicals. By showing these exceptions to the law, the law was generally more accepted afterwards.
Avogadro’s law can be mathematically stated as V/n = k where V is the volume of a gas, n is the amount of a gas and k is the constant. This law states that gasses with the same volume at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules regardless of physical properties or chemical makeup .
A sample problem for Avogadro’s law is in an air bag. If there is 0.8 moles of a gas within the air bag, occupying a volume of 100ml, how many moles of gas would be required for the bag to inflate to 4L. 0.100/ 0.8 = 4.00 / n2 = 4 x 0.8 / 0.1 = 32 moles. This type of air bag could be used in a car as long as the 32 mole were added quickly to the bag to fill it.
While in Vericelli, Avogadro wrote notes on his hypothesis which is known today as Avogadro’s Law. Avogadro’s law (the volume amount law): “Gives the relationship between volume and amount when pressure and temperature are held constant” and “If the amount of gas in a container is increased, the volume increases. If the amount of gas in a container is decreased, the volume decreases” (quotes sourced from http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/gases.html ). Avogadro’s Law wasn’t fully accepted by people until an Italian chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro was able to show that this law didn’t apply to some organic chemicals. By showing these exceptions to the law, the law was generally more accepted afterwards.
Avogadro’s law can be mathematically stated as V/n = k where V is the volume of a gas, n is the amount of a gas and k is the constant. This law states that gasses with the same volume at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules regardless of physical properties or chemical makeup .
A sample problem for Avogadro’s law is in an air bag. If there is 0.8 moles of a gas within the air bag, occupying a volume of 100ml, how many moles of gas would be required for the bag to inflate to 4L. 0.100/ 0.8 = 4.00 / n2 = 4 x 0.8 / 0.1 = 32 moles. This type of air bag could be used in a car as long as the 32 mole were added quickly to the bag to fill it.