Question
Question: A mixture of two gases has a total pressure of 5.7 atm. If one gas has a partial pressure of 4.1 atm...
A mixture of two gases has a total pressure of 5.7 atm. If one gas has a partial pressure of 4.1 atm, what is the partial pressure of the other gas?
Solution
Between the liquid and plasma phases, the gaseous state of matter exists, with the latter serving as the upper temperature barrier for gases. Degenerate quantum gases, which exist at the lower end of the temperature scale, are rising in popularity. High-density atomic gases that have been supercooled to extremely low temperatures are categorised as either Bose gases or Fermi gases based on their statistical behaviour. See the list of states of matter for a complete list of these unusual states of matter.
Complete answer:
Dalton's law says that the overall pressure exerted in a mixture of non-reacting gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases. John Dalton discovered this empirical law in 1801 and published it in 1802. The ideal gas laws are linked to Dalton's law. The pressure of a mixture of non-reactive gases may be calculated using the following formula:
ptotal=i=1∑npi=p1+p2+p3+⋯+pn
The total pressure is equal to the sum of all individual pressures, also known as partial pressures.
(Note that this equation was designed for ideal gases exclusively, thus it does not apply to actual gases exactly.)
APPLYING DALTON'S PARTIAL PRESSURES LAW
We already know there are only two gases in the closed container based on the wording of the question; let's name them gas 1 and gas 2.
So, to answer the question, here's what we have at our disposal and what we're trying to solve:
Ptot=5.7 atm
P1=4.1 atm
P2=x atm
Using ptotal=p1+p2
As a result, the partial pressure that is unknown is:
P2=Ptot−P1
p2=5.7−4.1
p2=1.6 atm
Hence 1.6 atm is the answer.
Note:
When it comes to ideal gases, we may state that their partial pressure contributions are the same for every identity gas at any total pressure. (This isn't the case with actual gases.) Another unspoken assumption is that we have a constant volume because this is a closed rigid container. This allows us to assume that the pressures are additive (albeit this is only true if the gases are genuinely perfect).