<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

The pressure of a mixture of gases: dalton’s law

Unless they chemically react with each other, the individual gases in a mixture of gases do not affect each other’s pressure. Each individual gas in a mixture exerts the same pressure that it would exert if it were present alone in the container ( [link] ). The pressure exerted by each individual gas in a mixture is called its partial pressure    . This observation is summarized by Dalton’s law of partial pressures    : The total pressure of a mixture of ideal gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the component gases :

P T o t a l = P A + P B + P C + ... = Σ i P i

In the equation P Total is the total pressure of a mixture of gases, P A is the partial pressure of gas A; P B is the partial pressure of gas B; P C is the partial pressure of gas C; and so on.

This figure includes images of four gas-filled cylinders or tanks. Each has a valve at the top. The interior of the first cylinder is shaded blue. This region contains 5 small blue circles that are evenly distributed. The label “300 k P a” is on the cylinder. The second cylinder is shaded lavender. This region contains 8 small purple circles that are evenly distributed. The label “600 k P a” is on the cylinder. To the right of these cylinders is a third cylinder. Its interior is shaded pale yellow. This region contains 12 small yellow circles that are evenly distributed. The label “450 k P a” is on this region of the cylinder. An arrow labeled “Total pressure combined” appears to the right of these three cylinders. This arrow points to a fourth cylinder. The interior of this cylinder is shaded a pale green. It contains evenly distributed small circles in the following quantities and colors; 5 blue, 8 purple, and 12 yellow. This cylinder is labeled “1350 k P a.”
If equal-volume cylinders containing gas A at a pressure of 300 kPa, gas B at a pressure of 600 kPa, and gas C at a pressure of 450 kPa are all combined in the same-size cylinder, the total pressure of the mixture is 1350 kPa.

The partial pressure of gas A is related to the total pressure of the gas mixture via its mole fraction ( X )    , a unit of concentration defined as the number of moles of a component of a solution divided by the total number of moles of all components:

P A = X A × P T o t a l where X A = n A n T o t a l

where P A , X A , and n A are the partial pressure, mole fraction, and number of moles of gas A, respectively, and n Total is the number of moles of all components in the mixture.

The pressure of a mixture of gases

A 10.0-L vessel contains 2.50 × 10 −3 mol of H 2 , 1.00 × 10 −3 mol of He, and 3.00 × 10 −4 mol of Ne at 35 °C.

(a) What are the partial pressures of each of the gases?

(b) What is the total pressure in atmospheres?

Solution

The gases behave independently, so the partial pressure of each gas can be determined from the ideal gas equation, using P = n R T V :

P H 2 = ( 2.50 × 10 −3 mol ) ( 0.08206 L atm mol −1 K −1 ) ( 308 K ) 10.0 L = 6.32 × 10 −3 atm
P He = ( 1.00 × 10 −3 mol ) ( 0.08206 L atm mol −1 K −1 ) ( 308 K ) 10.0 L = 2.53 × 10 −3 atm
P Ne = ( 3.00 × 10 −4 mol ) ( 0.08206 L atm mol −1 K −1 ) ( 308 K ) 10.0 L = 7.58 × 10 −4 atm

The total pressure is given by the sum of the partial pressures:

P T = P H 2 + P He + P Ne = ( 0.00632 + 0.00253 + 0.00076 ) atm = 9.61 × 10 −3 atm

Check your learning

A 5.73-L flask at 25 °C contains 0.0388 mol of N 2 , 0.147 mol of CO, and 0.0803 mol of H 2 . What is the total pressure in the flask in atmospheres?

Answer:

1.137 atm

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Here is another example of this concept, but dealing with mole fraction calculations.

The pressure of a mixture of gases

A gas mixture used for anesthesia contains 2.83 mol oxygen, O 2 , and 8.41 mol nitrous oxide, N 2 O. The total pressure of the mixture is 192 kPa.

(a) What are the mole fractions of O 2 and N 2 O?

(b) What are the partial pressures of O 2 and N 2 O?

Solution

The mole fraction is given by X A = n A n T o t a l and the partial pressure is P A = X A × P Total .

For O 2 ,

X O 2 = n O 2 n T o t a l = 2.83 mol ( 2.83 + 8.41 ) mol = 0.252

and P O 2 = X O 2 × P T o t a l = 0.252 × 192 kPa = 48.4 kPa

For N 2 O,

X N 2 = n N 2 n Total = 8.41 mol ( 2.83 + 8.41 ) mol = 0.748

and

P N 2 = X N 2 × P Total = 0.748 × 192 kPa = 143.6 kPa

Check your learning

What is the pressure of a mixture of 0.200 g of H 2 , 1.00 g of N 2 , and 0.820 g of Ar in a container with a volume of 2.00 L at 20 °C?

Answer:

1.87 atm

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Questions & Answers

Discuss the differences between taste and flavor, including how other sensory inputs contribute to our  perception of flavor.
John Reply
taste refers to your understanding of the flavor . while flavor one The other hand is refers to sort of just a blend things.
Faith
While taste primarily relies on our taste buds, flavor involves a complex interplay between taste and aroma
Kamara
which drugs can we use for ulcers
Ummi Reply
omeprazole
Kamara
what
Renee
what is this
Renee
is a drug
Kamara
of anti-ulcer
Kamara
Omeprazole Cimetidine / Tagament For the complicated once ulcer - kit
Patrick
what is the function of lymphatic system
Nency Reply
Not really sure
Eli
to drain extracellular fluid all over the body.
asegid
The lymphatic system plays several crucial roles in the human body, functioning as a key component of the immune system and contributing to the maintenance of fluid balance. Its main functions include: 1. Immune Response: The lymphatic system produces and transports lymphocytes, which are a type of
asegid
to transport fluids fats proteins and lymphocytes to the blood stream as lymph
Adama
what is anatomy
Oyindarmola Reply
Anatomy is the identification and description of the structures of living things
Kamara
what's the difference between anatomy and physiology
Oyerinde Reply
Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body, while physiology is the study of the function of the body. Anatomy looks at the body's organs and systems, while physiology looks at how those organs and systems work together to keep the body functioning.
AI-Robot
what is enzymes all about?
Mohammed Reply
Enzymes are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions in our bodies. Enzymes are essential for digestion, liver function and much more. Too much or too little of a certain enzyme can cause health problems
Kamara
yes
Prince
how does the stomach protect itself from the damaging effects of HCl
Wulku Reply
little girl okay how does the stomach protect itself from the damaging effect of HCL
Wulku
it is because of the enzyme that the stomach produce that help the stomach from the damaging effect of HCL
Kamara
function of digestive system
Ali Reply
function of digestive
Ali
the diagram of the lungs
Adaeze Reply
what is the normal body temperature
Diya Reply
37 degrees selcius
Xolo
37°c
Stephanie
please why 37 degree selcius normal temperature
Mark
36.5
Simon
37°c
Iyogho
the normal temperature is 37°c or 98.6 °Fahrenheit is important for maintaining the homeostasis in the body the body regular this temperature through the process called thermoregulation which involves brain skin muscle and other organ working together to maintain stable internal temperature
Stephanie
37A c
Wulku
what is anaemia
Diya Reply
anaemia is the decrease in RBC count hemoglobin count and PVC count
Eniola
what is the pH of the vagina
Diya Reply
how does Lysin attack pathogens
Diya
acid
Mary
I information on anatomy position and digestive system and there enzyme
Elisha Reply
anatomy of the female external genitalia
Muhammad Reply
Organ Systems Of The Human Body (Continued) Organ Systems Of The Human Body (Continued)
Theophilus Reply
what's lochia albra
Kizito
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply
Practice Key Terms 4

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Chemistry. OpenStax CNX. May 20, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11760/1.9
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Chemistry' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask