Question

If a balloon is filled with He, Ne, and Ar gases at a total pressure of 2.0atm, what is the partial pressure of argon if the partial pressures of helium and neon are both 0.25atm each?

Answer 1

According to Dalton's law of partial pressure:

P_total = P₁ + P₂ + P₃ ...

where P_total - total pressure, P_n - partial pressure

Here:

P_total = P_He + P_Ne + P_Ar

As a result, partial pressure of argon equals:

P_Ar = P_total - (P_He + P_Ne) = 2.0 atm - (0.25 atm + 0.25 atm) = 1.5 atm

Answer: 1.5 atm