Sea Diving and Partial Pressures

Our lungs have evolved to breathe oxygen at a partial pressure of P02 0.21 atm. If the total pressure decreases—as happens when we climb a mountain, for 

EXAMPLE 11.10 Partial Pressure, Total Pressure, and Percent Composition 

Calculate the partial pressure of oxygen that a diver breathes with a heliox mixture containing 2.0% oxygen at a depth of 100 m where the total pressure is 10.0 atm. 

You are given the percent oxygen in the mixture and the total pressure. You are asked to find the partial pressure of oxygen. 

The partial pressure of a component in a gas mixture is equal to e fractional composition of the component multiplied by the total pressure. Calculate the fractional composition of O2 by dividing the percent composition by 100. Calculate the partial pressure of O2 by multiplying the fractional composition by the total pressure. 

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