I Measuring the force between air molecules

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on measuring the attractive forces between air molecules, which are primarily nitrogen and oxygen, and how these forces could be detected through deviations in behavior from ideal gas laws. It is suggested that if such forces exist, they would manifest as unexpected differences in the properties of air compared to an ideal gas. The cooling effect observed when throttling air could indicate the overcoming of these attractive forces. However, distinguishing between a gas with no intermolecular forces and one with balanced attractive and repulsive forces poses a significant challenge. Understanding these interactions is crucial for deeper insights into gas behavior and thermodynamics.
tm007
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If there was an atractive force between air molecules, how could this be measured? The force should be small. In the range of the force between watermolecules (hydrogen bond).
 
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A previously unknown force between air molecules would show up as unexpected differences between the behavior of a volume of air and a volume of ideal gas.

(But do note that there’s no such thing as an “air molecule” - air is a mixture of nitrogen molecules, oxygen molecules, some stray argon atoms, and other odds and ends)
 
Nugatory said:
A previously unknown force between air molecules would show up as unexpected differences between the behavior of a volume of air and a volume of ideal gas.

(But do note that there’s no such thing as an “air molecule” - air is a mixture of nitrogen molecules, oxygen molecules, some stray argon atoms, and other odds and ends)
That´ s one thing.
Also if air molecules are attracted to each other then on throttling air, air ought to cool as those attractive forces are overcome.
For an ideal gas should have neither attractive nor repulsive forces between molecules, and should neither cool nor heat on throttling.
But how do you tell the difference between a gas having no attractive or repulsive forces vs. a gas having both attractive and repulsive forces but those balanced between each other?
How do you measure attractive forces in presence of repulsive forces?
 
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