Two gases, obeying van der waals equation, have identical values of 'b' but different values of 'a'. Which one of the two gases will occupy less volume under identical conditions? If the values of 'a' for the two gases are the same but the values of 'b' are different, then under identical conditions which gas will be more compressible?

Explanation

The larger the value of 'a' of a gas, the stronger the intermolecular forces of attraction in the gas. So, under idential conditions, a gas with a larger value of 'a' will be more compressible than that with a larger value of 'a' will be more compressible than that with a smaller value. hence, between the two gases, the one with a higehr value of 'a' will occupy less volume under idential conditions.
If the value of 'a' for two gases is the sae but the values of 'b' differ, then the gas with a smaller value of 'b' will be more compressible because a small value of 'b' for a gas signifies that the volume occupied by the molecules of the gas is small. so, this gas can be compressed to a greater extent.