Question

State Henry's law and mention some important applications?

Answer 1

According to Henry's law, the solubility of a gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the pressure of the gas.

$X=K_h\times P$

$X$ is the mole fraction of gas, $K_h$ is Henry's law constant and $P$ is the partial pressure of the gas.

Important applications of Henry's law:

$1)$ In packing of soda cans: Soda water bottles are always packed under higher pressure to increase the solubility of $C{O}_2$ gas.

$2)$ In deep-sea diving: Nitrogen is more soluble than Helium in our blood. In the deep sea, the pressure is higher than at the surface of the water. When diver tries to come rapidly towards the surface of the water, pressure decreases and dissolved nitrogen comes back from blood and makes bubbles in veins. Hence, divers use oxygen diluted with helium.