Which Gas Is Easiest to Compress?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the question of which gas is the easiest to compress, exploring various gases and their compressibility compared to air. The scope includes theoretical considerations and practical examples of gas behavior under compression.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether all gases compress similarly.
  • Another participant seeks to identify a gas that is easier to compress than air.
  • It is proposed that compounds that are vapors at room temperature with boiling points near room temperature, such as 1,2-butadiene and butane, are easier to compress than air.
  • Some gases, like butane, can be contained as liquids under pressure, indicating their high compressibility.
  • A later reply notes that certain compounds, like Freons, also exhibit easier compressibility compared to air.
  • There is a mention that these compounds do not behave like ideal gases near room temperature, but may approach ideal gas behavior at higher temperatures.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on a single gas being the easiest to compress, and multiple viewpoints regarding the compressibility of different gases remain present.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about gas behavior and definitions of compressibility are not explicitly stated, and the discussion does not resolve the complexities of gas behavior under varying conditions.

2112
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I was wondering out of all the known gasses, which is the easiest to compress?
 
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Not all gasses compress the same do they?
 
Lets put it this way, is their a gas that's easier to compress than air?
 
Any compound that is a vapor at room temperature but has a boiling point near room temperature will be easier to compress than air. 1,2-butadiene, a gas at room temperature and pressure, has a boiling point of about 10C. At room temperature it is almost "compressing" to a liquid by itself. Butane is another example. Butane is so easy to compress that it can be contained as a liquid in a small plastic container (Bic). Some of the Freons (chlorofluorocarbons) are easier to compress as well.

What I have described are compounds that do not behave like an ideal gas near room temperature. At higher temperatures, these compounds behave more like ideal gases although not exactly like them.
 
Thanks for the lesson, I'm becoming a better and more informed person.
 

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