Partial Pressure Definition and Examples

What Does Partial Pressure Mean?

Each gas in a mixture of gases contributes a partial pressure. The sum of all the partial pressures it the total pressure of the mixture.
Each gas in a mixture of gases contributes a partial pressure. The sum of all the partial pressures it the total pressure of the mixture. Víctor Del Pino / EyeEm / Getty Images

Partial Pressure Definition

In a mixture of gases, each gas contributes to the total pressure of the mixture. This contribution is the partial pressure. The partial pressure is the pressure the gas if the gas were in the same volume and temperature by itself. Dalton's law states the total pressure of a mixture of ideal gases is the sum of the partial pressure of each individual gas.

While the usual symbol for pressure is P or p, partial pressure is indicated by a subscript (e.g., P1 or p1).

Partial pressure is important in the fields of chemistry, physics, and biology. Blood levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide are determined by measuring their partial pressure.

Source

  • Perry, R.H. and Green, D.W. (Editors) (1997). Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-049841-5.
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Partial Pressure Definition and Examples." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-partial-pressure-and-examples-605478. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 26). Partial Pressure Definition and Examples. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-partial-pressure-and-examples-605478 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Partial Pressure Definition and Examples." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-partial-pressure-and-examples-605478 (accessed March 28, 2024).