Henry's law

<p>In <a href="/facts/Physical_chemistry/WqwnJjRM">physical chemistry</a>, Henry's law is a <a href="/facts/Gas_laws/yfj4gtlb">gas law</a> that states that the amount of dissolved gas in a liquid is directly proportional at equilibrium to its <a href="/facts/Partial_pressure/sRw2hj4G">partial pressure</a> above the liquid. The proportionality factor is called Henry's law constant. It was formulated by the English chemist <a href="/facts/William_Henry_(chemist)/oXKocDt2">William Henry</a>, who studied the topic in the early 19th century.
In simple words, we can say that the  partial pressure of a gas in vapour phase is directly proportional to the mole fraction of a gas in solution.
</p><p>An example where Henry's law is at play is the depth-dependent dissolution of oxygen and nitrogen in the blood of <a href="/facts/Underwater_diving/yhjLjF1H">underwater divers</a> that changes during <a href="/facts/Decompression_(diving)/RKrH0NFe">decompression</a>, going to <a href="/facts/Decompression_sickness/aSpCCQaU">decompression sickness</a>. An everyday example is <a href="/facts/Carbonation/AHnWIB8z">carbonated</a> <a href="/facts/Soft_drink/wrh7dUAC">soft drinks</a>, which contain dissolved carbon dioxide. Before opening, the gas above the drink in its container is almost pure <a href="/facts/Carbon_dioxide/xGzpppEp">carbon dioxide</a>, at a pressure higher than <a href="/facts/Atmospheric_pressure/wJLMSaVG">atmospheric pressure</a>. After the bottle is opened, this gas escapes, moving the partial pressure of carbon dioxide above the liquid to be much lower, resulting in degassing as the dissolved carbon dioxide comes out of the solution.
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Henry's law open-in-new

Henry's law