volume units for work

[Caley Ortiz 2L]

When solving w = -PdeltaV, should delta V always be in liters?

[Daniel Lee 2J]

I'd say it definitely doesn't have to be; just use what units you are given and then convert as necessary after. However, it is helpful to recognize the units and their relationships to Joules. For instance, if you use atm for pressure and liters for volume, you would have to convert accordingly using 1 L.atm = 101.325 J. Another example is 1 J = 1 Pa.m^3.

[905775469]

Yes, to use -PdeltaV you should change all units to be in SI so that the units cancel to form Joules (1kg/m^2/s^2) so volume should be in m^3 and pressure should be in pascals (kg/m/s^2).