The law of partial pressure

The law of partial pressures states that, at a given temperature,

the total pressure of a gas mixture is equal to the sum of the
partial pressures exerted by each of the gases composing the
mixture.
The English scientist John Dalton (1766-1844) observed that, in
a mixture consisting of several gases, the sum of each of the
pressures exerted by the different gases corresponds to the total
pressure of the mixture. Thus, each gas acts in a mixture as if it
were the only one to occupy all the space available in the
container. Each gas therefore exerts an identical pressure as if it
were alone, its behavior not being influenced by the presence of
other gases.
Graphical representation of the law of partial pressures: On the
left, we find the pressures exerted by gases A and B if they were
alone in the container. On the right, we find the pressure exerted
by the mixture of gases A and B in the same container. It can be
noted that the pressure of the mixture is equal to the sum of the
pressures exerted by each gas individually.
The individual pressure exerted by each gas in a container is called
partial pressure.
This pressure is only part of the total pressure exerted by all the
gases contained in the container. Mathematically, we can express
the law of partial pressures, also called Dalton's law, as follows:
This law applies to any mixture of gases, regardless of the number
of gases that make up the mixture. It also applies when a gas is
collected by displacement of water. In this technique, a certain
amount of water vapour is mixed with the resulting gas. To
calculate the actual pressure exerted by the gas, it is therefore
necessary to subtract the pressure of the water vapour from the
total pressure of the mixture collected.
The partial pressure exerted by a gas can also be determined by
multiplying the total pressure of the mixture by the molar
proportion that the gas represents in the mixture.