8.

8 Partial Pressure (Dalton’s Law)

Our cells continuously use

oxygen and produce carbon
dioxide.

Both gases move in and out

of the lungs through the
membranes of the alveoli,
the tiny air sacs at the ends
of the airways in the lungs.

Learning Goal Use Dalton’s law of partial pressures to

calculate the total pressure of a mixture of gases.
General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Partial Pressure

The partial pressure of a gas is the pressure that each gas

in a mixture would exert if it were by itself in the container.

Core Chemistry Skill Calculating Partial Pressure

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures

Dalton’s law of partial pressures indicates that

• pressure depends on the total number of gas
particles, not on the types of particles.
• the total pressure exerted by gases in a mixture is
the sum of the partial pressures of those gases.

PT = P1 + P2 + P3 + ....

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Total Pressure

For example, at STP, 1 mole of a pure gas in a volume

of 22.4 L will exert the same pressure as 1 mole of a gas
mixture in 22.4 L.
Gas mixtures

0.4 mole O2 0.5 mole O2

1.0 mole N2 0.6 mole He 0.3 mole He
1.0 mole 0.2 mole Ar
1.0 mole
1.0 atm 1.0 atm 1.0 atm

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Total Pressure

The air we breathe

• is a mixture of different gases.
• contains mostly N2 and O2, and contains small amounts of
other gases.
What we call the atmospheric pressure is actually the sum of
the partial pressures of the gases in the air

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Guide to Solving for Partial Pressure

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Solving for Partial Pressure

A scuba tank contains O2 with a pressure of 0.450 atm and He

at 855 mmHg. What is the total pressure in mmHg in the tank
(volume and temperature are constant)?

STEP 1 Write the equation for the sum of the partial

pressures.
Ptotal = PO2 + PHe
STEP 2 Rearrange the equation to solve for the unknown
pressure. Convert units to match.
Ptotal = PO2 + PHe

×
General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Solving for Partial Pressure

A scuba tank contains O2 with a pressure of 0.450 atm and He

at 855 mmHg. What is the total pressure in mmHg in the tank
(volume and temperature are constant)?

STEP 3 Substitute known pressures and calculate

the unknown partial pressure.

Ptotal = PO2 + PHe

Ptotal = 342 mmHg + 855 mmHg

= 1.20 ×
x 103 mmHg

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Study Check

For a deep dive, a scuba diver uses a mixture of

helium and oxygen with a pressure of 8.00 atm. If the
oxygen has a partial pressure of 1280 mmHg, what is
the partial pressure of the helium (volume and
temperature are constant)?
A. 520 mmHg
B. 2040 mmHg
C. 4800 mmHg

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Solution

For a deep dive, a scuba diver uses a mixture of helium and

oxygen with a pressure of 8.00 atm. If the oxygen has a
partial pressure of 1280 mmHg, what is the partial pressure of
the helium (volume and temperature are constant)?

STEP 1 Write the equation for the sum of the partial

pressures.
Ptotal = PO2 + Phe

STEP 2 Rearrange the equation to solve for the

unknown pressure. Convert units to match.
PHe = Ptotal − PO2
×
General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Solution

For a deep dive, a scuba diver uses a mixture of helium and

oxygen with a pressure of 8.00 atm. If the oxygen has a
partial pressure of 1280 mmHg, what is the partial pressure
of the helium (volume and temperature are constant)?

STEP 3 Substitute known pressures and calculate

the unknown partial pressure.
PHe = 6080 mmHg – 1280 mmHg
= 4800 mmHg or 4.80 × 103 mmHg
The answer is C, 4800 mm Hg.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Chemistry Link to Health: Blood Gases

• In the lungs, O2 enters the

blood, while CO2 from the
blood is released.
• In the tissues, O2
enters the cells, which
releases CO2 into
the blood.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Chemistry Link to Health: Blood Gases

In the body,
• O2 flows into the tissues because the partial
pressure of O2 is higher in blood and lower in
the tissues.
• CO2 flows out of the tissues because the partial
pressure of CO2 is higher in the tissues and
lower in blood.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Chemistry Link to Health:
Partial Pressures in Blood

Partial Pressures in Blood and Tissue

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Gas Exchange During Breathing

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Concept Map, Gas Laws

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake