Final answer:
Dalton's law of partial pressures states that the total pressure exerted by a mixture of non-reactive gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of each component. This law can be expressed mathematically, and is useful for calculating the pressure of specific gases in a mixture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures
Dalton's law of partial pressures is a foundational concept in chemistry, particularly when discussing the behavior of gases. The law states that in a given volume and temperature, the total pressure (Ptotal) exerted by a mixture of non-reactive gases is the sum of the partial pressures of each individual gas component. The partial pressure is the pressure that a gas would exert if it were alone in the container. Mathematically, Dalton's law can be represented as Ptotal = P₁ + P₂ + P₃ + ... + Pn, where Pn represents the pressure of each gas within the mixture.
This law is particularly useful when calculating the pressure of a specific gas in a mixture, or when determining the total pressure exerted by a gas mixture. To correct for the vapor pressure due to water, for instance, Dalton's law is used to obtain the true value for the pressure of the rest of the gas. It is a critical concept for anyone studying gas behavior in chemistry.