What does the van der Waals equation account for?

The van der Waals equation provides a more accurate description of the behavior of real gases by including correction factors for molecular interactions and the volume occupied by gas molecules. In contrast to the ideal gas law, which assumes that gas molecules do not interact and that they occupy no volume, the van der Waals equation incorporates two specific parameters: "a," which corrects for the attractive forces between molecules, and "b," which accounts for the finite volume that gas molecules occupy. By incorporating these factors, the van der Waals equation enables a better prediction of gas behavior under various conditions, especially at high pressures and low temperatures where deviations from ideal behavior are most pronounced. This makes it a crucial tool in understanding and modeling real gas systems in chemistry.