The compressibility factor of an ideal gas is — States of Matter and Gaseous State Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

# Compressibility Factor of an Ideal Gas The compressibility factor $Z$ is defined as: $$Z = \frac{PV}{nRT}$$ **For an ideal gas**, the equation of state is: $$PV = nRT$$ **Substituting this into the compressibility factor equation:** $$Z = \frac{nRT}{nRT} = 1$$ **Key Points:** - The compressibility factor measures deviation from ideal behavior - For an ideal gas, there are no intermolecular forces and no molecular volume, so $Z = 1$ exactly - For real gases: $Z < 1$ (attractive forces dominate) or $Z > 1$ (repulsive forces dominate) - The answer is **B: Z = 1** (assuming B represents this value) The compressibility factor of an ideal gas is always equal to **unity (1)** because ideal gases follow $PV = nRT$ perfectly by definition.