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What is the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a gas at 273K?
The average kinetic energy of the molecules is 5.66 × 10⁻²¹ J.
According to Kinetic Molecular Theory, the average kinetic energy of gas molecules is a function only of temperature.
The formula is
##KE = 3/2kT##
where ##T## is the Kelvin temperature and ##k## is Boltzmann’s constant.
##KE = 3/2 × 1.381 × 10⁻²³ “J·K⁻¹” × 273″K”## = 5.66 × 10⁻²¹ J
For a mole of molecules, the average kinetic energy is
##(5.66 × 10⁻²¹”J”)/(1″molecule”) × (6.022 × 10²³”molecules”)/(1″mol”)## = 3.41 ×10³ J/mol = 3.41 kJ/mol