Using Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures To Determine the Vapor Pressure of a Volatile Liquid

Abstract

This experiment, designed for a general chemistry laboratory, illustrates the use of Dalton's law of partial pressures to determine the vapor pressure of a volatile liquid. A predetermined volume of air is injected into a calibrated tube filled with a liquid whose vapor pressure is to be measured. The volume of the liquid displaced is greater than the volume of air injected because of the vapor pressure of the liquid.