Saturation Pressure

01/08/26

“What is the pressure at which a substance’s liquid and vapor phases are balanced with each other?”

Vapors form when molecules from a liquid bounce into the air as gases. At some pressures, more molecules escape, and at others, more return. The pressure where the molecular exchange between each phase is equal is known as the Saturation Pressure. The saturation pressure is dependent on temperature, since higher temperatures mean more molecules escape, necessitating a higher pressure to keep them contained. Saturation pressure dictates what the vapor makeup of a mixture will appear according to Raoult’s law.

• Chemistry
• Physics