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States of Matter & Gas Laws

Partial Pressure

The pressure that one component of a gas mixture would exert if it alone occupied the whole volume.

Formula / equation p_i = x_i × p_total
Unit Pa

In depth

Partial pressure equals mole fraction times total pressure, so it measures how much of the mixture a component represents. Gases dissolve, diffuse and react according to their partial pressures rather than their absolute amounts, which is why equilibrium constants for gas reactions use K_p.

Examples in the real world

Oxygen's 21 kPa partial pressure at sea level drops to about 7 kPa at the summit of Everest.