2.12 State Henry’s law and mention some important applications.
According to Henry's law at a constant temperature, the solubility of a gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas present above the surface of solution or liquid.
i.e., p = khx, Here kh is Henry’s law constant.
Some of its applications are as follows:-
(a) We can increase the solubility of CO2 in soft drinks, the bottle is sealed under high pressure.
(b) To avoid bends (due to blockage of capillaries) and the toxic effects of high concentrations of nitrogen in the blood, the tanks used by scuba divers are filled with air diluted with helium (11.7% helium, 56.2% nitrogen and 32.1% oxygen).
(c) The partial pressure of oxygen is less at high altitudes than that at the ground level. This leads to low concentrations of oxygen in the blood and tissues climbers. Due to low blood oxygen, climbers become weak and unable to think clearly which are symptoms of a condition known as anoxia.