Gas Laws in Respiratory Therapy

Flashcards covering key gas laws and their relevance in the field of respiratory therapy.

Boyle’s Law

At a constant temperature, the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume.

Charles’s Law

At constant pressure, volume is directly proportional to absolute temperature; Formula: V1/T1 = V2/T2; Relevant for understanding how gas expands and contracts with temperature.

Gay-Lussac’s Law

At constant volume, pressure is directly proportional to absolute temperature; Formula: P1/T1 = P2/T2; Significant for ensuring safety in storage of gas cylinders in hot conditions.

Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures

.The total pressure of a gas mixture equals the sum of the partial pressures of each individual gas in the mixture.

Henry’s Law

States that the amount of gas dissolving in a liquid is directly proportional to the amount of the gas above the surface of a liquid at a certain temperature.

Used to calculate the concentration of gas dissolved in a liquid.

Fick’s Law of Diffusion

Rate of gas transfer is proportional to surface area times pressure gradient divided by membrane thickness; Formula: Vgas = (A × D × (P1 - P2)) / T; Explains diffusion efficiency and impairment in respiratory conditions.