What is Partial Pressure?
Partial pressure is the pressure that would be exerted by a single gas in a mixture if it occupied the same volume at the same temperature alone. According to Dalton's Law:
Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures
Key concepts of Dalton's Law:
- Total pressure equals sum of partial pressures
- Each gas behaves independently
- Applies to ideal gas mixtures
- Independent of chemical properties
Mole Fraction and Partial Pressure
The relationship between mole fraction and partial pressure:
- P₁ = X₁ × P total
- X₁ = n₁/n total
- X₁ = P₁/P total
- Sum of all mole fractions = 1
Applications
Partial pressure calculations are important in:
- Respiratory physiology
- Industrial gas separation
- Gas collection methods
- Environmental monitoring
- Chemical vapor deposition
- Scuba diving calculations