Law of Combining Volumes
The law of combining volumes states that, when gases react together to form other gases, and all volumes are measured at the same temperature and pressure:
The ratio between the volumes of the reactant gases and the products can be expressed in simple whole numbers.
For example, Gay-Lussac found that 2 volumes of Hydrogen and 1 volume of Oxygen would react to form 2 volume of gaseous water. In addition to Gay-Lussac's results, Amedeo Avogadro theorized that, at the same temperature and pressure, equal volumes of gas contain equal numbers of molecules (Avogadro's law). This hypothesis meant that the previously stated result
- 2 volumes of Hydrogen + 1 volume of Oxygen = 2 volumes of gaseous water
could also be expressed as
- 2 molecules of Hydrogen + 1 molecule of Oxygen = 2 molecules of water.
The law of combining gases was made public by Joseph Louis Guy-Lussac in 1808. Avogadro's hypothesis, however, was not initially accepted by chemists until the Italian chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro was able to convince the First International Chemical Congress in 1860.
Read more about this topic: Gay-Lussac's Law
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