S sanguinee Full Member 7+ Year Member Joined May 14, 2014 Messages 122 Reaction score 19 Jan 18, 2015 #1 Members don't see this ad. So the ideal gas constant is 8.314 J/molK or 0.0821 L*atm/mol*K. I understand there is a difference in units, but when do you use one vs the other? I'm assuming ideal gas law uses 0.0821 b/c the units have Liters in them.
Members don't see this ad. So the ideal gas constant is 8.314 J/molK or 0.0821 L*atm/mol*K. I understand there is a difference in units, but when do you use one vs the other? I'm assuming ideal gas law uses 0.0821 b/c the units have Liters in them.
Cawolf PGY-2 10+ Year Member Joined Feb 27, 2013 Messages 3,469 Reaction score 2,287 Jan 18, 2015 #2 Yes, it only depends on the units you are using. In general, chemistry uses R = 0.0821 and physics uses R = 8.314. In terms of the MCAT, you are correct that PV = nRT is R = 0.0821 due to units. Anything that uses SI units will likely use 8.314, because these are in SI units (physics and gas kinetics). Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes, it only depends on the units you are using. In general, chemistry uses R = 0.0821 and physics uses R = 8.314. In terms of the MCAT, you are correct that PV = nRT is R = 0.0821 due to units. Anything that uses SI units will likely use 8.314, because these are in SI units (physics and gas kinetics).