Charles's law predicts that a gas cooled at constant pressure would reach zero volume at

  • A. 0 degrees C
  • B. -100 degrees C
  • C. -273.15 degrees C
  • D. -373 degrees C

Explanation

Extrapolating the straight line of volume against temperature backwards, every gas reaches zero volume at minus 273.15 degrees Celsius, which is defined as absolute zero or 0 K. The extrapolation is theoretical, since every real gas liquefies well before that point. This is precisely why the Kelvin scale exists and why gas law calculations must use it.

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