Dalton's Law
Gibbs' Dalton's law of the total pressure of a mixture of gases.
The total pressure of a mixture of gases is made up by the sum of the partial pressures of the components in the mixture - also known from Gibbs'-Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures.
- the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases
The total pressure in a mixture of gases can be expressed as:
ptotal = p1 + p2 + .. + pn
= Σpi (1)
where
ptotal = total pressure of mixture (Pa, psi)
pi = partial pressure of individual gas (Pa, psi)
Assuming that each gas behaves ideally - the partial pressure for each gas can calculated from the Ideal gas Law as
pi = n1 R T / V (2)
where
pi = pressure (Pa, psi)
n1 = the number of moles of the gas
R = universal gas constant (J/(mol K), lbf ft/(lb mol oR), 8.3145 (J/(mol K))
T = absolute temperature (K, oR)
V = volume (m3, ft3)
Example - Partial Pressure of single Gas
If there is 2 moles of gas in 0.005 m3 volume (5 litre) with temperature 27°C (300 K) - the partial pressure of the gas can be calculated as
pi = (2) (8.3145 J/(mol K)) (300 K) / (0.005 m3)
= 997740 Pa
= 997 kPa