How do you find the partial pressure of oxygen?

1 Answer
anor277
Aug 21, 2016

In what circumstance?

Explanation:

In a gaseous mixture, the partial pressure of a gaseous component is the same as the pressure it would exert if that gas alone occupied the container.

We are currently breathing air at #1# #atm# pressure. Given the normal composition of air, 78% dinitrogen, 21% dioxygen, 1% other gases, we can say quite categorically that the partial pressure of dioxygen in the atmosphere is approx. #0.2*atm#, and the partial pressure of dinitrogen is approx. #0.8*atm#. The total pressure is of course the sum of the individual partial pressures.

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