Examples of Gases

You’re undoubtedly aware that one of the three states of matter is gas. Gases are all around us. You’ve probably heard of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is a gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth. In this article, we will learn about gases, different examples of gases and various types of gases.

What is a Gas?

Definition

Gas is a type of matter that has no defined and independent structure, shape or volume but tends to expand indefinitely.

To put it another way, a gas takes on the shape and volume of its container. Elements or compounds can exist as gas particles. A gas can be a single pure substance (for example, oxygen, helium, or carbon dioxide) or a combination of numerous gases (e.g., air, natural gas). Let us look at the most common examples of gases that are involved in our day-to-day lives.

Examples of Gases

Air is the most common example of gas. It is also a mixture of numerous gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, water vapour, and trace amounts of other substances like argon, neon, and krypton. Nitrogen is the most abundant element in air, accounting for 78 percent of its volume. The oxygen content is around 20.9 percent.

A few other examples of gases are:

• Hydrogen
• Oxygen
• Carbon dioxide
• Carbon monoxide
• Helium
• Argon
• Ozone
• Water vapour
• Acetylene
• Propane
• Butane
• Various chlorofluorocarbons

Elements That Are Gases at Room Temperature

At room temperature and normal pressure, several elements are gases. Monatomic gases are made up of single atoms. These gases are formed from noble gases like helium, neon, xenon, krypton, argon, and radon.

Other elements, such as oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, fluorine and hydrogen, generally form Diatomic gases.

Triatomic gases, such as ozone, are formed by a few pure components. Many common gases, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, propane, and freon, are compounds.

Types of Gases

1. Elemental Gases 

When the pressure changes and becomes higher or lower, or the temperature changes and becomes higher or lower, the element may exist in a different form, such as liquid or solid. Examples of elemental gases are hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, etc.

2. Pure and Mixed Gases 

Pure gases can exist in a variety of forms. They can be composed of individual atoms, such as neon, or of atomic gases or noble gases. Mixed gases, on the other hand, are made up of more than one pure gas. Examples are air, acetylene (C₂H₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), butane (C₄H₁₀), ethane (C₂H₆), germane (GeH₄), hexane (C₆H₁₄), natural gas (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), etc.

3. Toxic gases 

Toxic gases can be harmful when inhaled or when individuals are exposed to them. In rare situations, a few seconds of breathing in a hazardous gas can result in severe harm or death. In other cases, breathing in a hazardous gas may simply make you feel nauseous or dizzy. A few examples of toxic gases are ammonia (NH₃), arsenic (As), benzene (C₆H₆), bromine (Br), carbon monoxide (CO), chlorofluorocarbons, formaldehyde (CH₂O), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), methanol (CH₃OH), ozone (O3), phosgene (COCl₂), silane (SiH₄), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), trimethylamine (C₃H₉N), vinyl chloride (C₂H₃Cl), etc.

Gas vs Vapor

Gas is sometimes referred to as a “vapor.” Typically, vapor applies to the gaseous condition of a substance that is otherwise in another state. Water, for example, is a liquid at standard room temperature and pressure. Water vapour is its gaseous form.

Difference between Real Gas and Ideal Gas

An ideal gas functions according to the ideal gas law and the kinetic-molecular theory of gases. This means that particles in an ideal gas have no volume, are not attracted to one another, and interact through completely elastic collisions.

No real gas is ideal, but at typical temperatures and pressures, their behaviour is similar enough to ideal that the ideal gas law can be used to approximate it. At low temperatures and high pressures, the behaviour of actual gases deviates from ideality.

Different Applications of Gases

Some chemical reactions need the use of gases in the manufacturing process. Hydrogen, for example, interacts with chlorine to generate hydrochloric acid. In the Haber process, hydrogen is also used to produce ammonia. Gases are both useful and hazardous for a variety of reasons. Some gases are combustible, which means they can quickly catch fire. Others, like as carbon dioxide, can be used to extinguish fires. However, gases can be utilized to make other harmful compounds, such as chlorine gas, which was used to create chemical warfare during World Wars I and II. Helium is utilized as a coolant and refrigerant in cryogenics and superconducting applications, while nitrogen is employed as a gas, propellant, and coolant in rockets, airbags, and airsoft weapons.

Frequently Asked Questions on Examples of Gases

Q1. What are the examples of gases?

Answer. Nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen are the three most prevalent gaseous elements or compounds. These are commonly found in the air we breathe and account for around 81 percent of the air we breathe. Helium, argon, neon, krypton, radon, xenon, chlorine, fluorine, and oxygen are among the other elements that exist as gaseous at ambient temperature and pressure. These are known as “noble gases.”

Q2. What is the difference between a gas and a solid?

Answer. The primary distinction between a solid and gas is that solids have a definite shape because their molecules are held together by strong forces, whereas liquids can partially take the shape of the container in which they are stored, whereas gases can fill any container because their molecules are not bound together. Furthermore, solids can only be squeezed to a very microscopic level, liquids can only be compressed a little, while gases can be compressed much more.

Q3. What is an Ideal Gas?

Answer. An ideal gas is one in which all collisions amongst atoms or molecules are totally elastic in nature and there are no intermolecular attraction forces between the particles of the gas. An ideal gas’s particles can be imagined as a sequence of colliding perfectly rigid spheres that do not interact with one another.