Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
A systematic formulation of the virial expansion for nonadditive interaction potentials
1Institut für Chemie, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 3a, D-18059 Rostock, Germany. robert.hellmann@uni-rostock.de
A new method simplifies calculating virial coefficients for classical gases, even with complex interactions. This approach reduces the number of cluster diagrams needed for high-order calculations, making computations more efficient.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- The virial expansion is crucial for describing non-ideal gas behavior.
- Calculating high-order virial coefficients is computationally intensive, especially for complex potentials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a new formulation for virial expansion applicable to non-pairwise-additive potentials.
- To provide explicit expressions for virial coefficients up to the eighth order.
- To improve the computational efficiency of calculating high-order virial coefficients.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of a generalized virial expansion.
- Expression of virial coefficients as integrals over sums of cluster diagrams.
- Focus on moderate increase in cluster diagrams with increasing order.
Main Results:
- A novel formulation of virial expansion is presented.
- Explicit expressions for virial coefficients up to the eighth order are derived.
- The number of cluster diagrams grows more slowly compared to previous methods.
Conclusions:
- The new formulation is suitable for numerical evaluation.
- This method is particularly advantageous for computing high-order virial coefficients.
- It offers a more efficient pathway for theoretical and computational studies of classical gases.
Related Concept Videos
The Van der Waals Equation
Thermodynamic Potentials
Real Gases: Effects of Intermolecular Forces and Molecular Volume Deriving Van der Waals Equation
Van der Waals Equation
First, the attractive forces between molecules, which are stronger at higher densities and reduce the pressure, are considered by adding to the pressure a term equal to the square of the molar density multiplied by a positive coefficient a. Second, the volume...
Differential Form of Maxwell's Equations
Van der Waals Interactions

