Henry's Law

• Used for sparingly soluble gases (for example: air /

oxygen / hydrogen, in water

• For these cases usually the application temperature is >

gas TC

• Hence Pi (sat) cannot be defined

fˆ1gas  fˆ1liq  y1ˆ1 P  x1 1 f1

fˆ2gas  fˆ2liq  y ˆ P  x  f
2 2 2 2 2

If we further assume that the gas is very sparingly soluble

in the solvent, the liquid phase is essentially pure solvent
and the following relations derive:
  1    1 ,  2  1, therefore:
ˆ
y P  x f 
1 1 1 1 1

Or alternately:  y1ˆ1P  x1H1
Where: H1   1 f1

For component 2, y2ˆ2 P  x2 H 2 ; H 2   2 f 2

 Since  2  1,  it follows that: H 2  f 2
Hence, fˆ  x f
2 2 2
• Thus, if Henry’s law is applicable for the solute then Lewis-
Randall rule is applicable for the solvent.

• Since for a system temperature T >Tc,1 the fugacity of pure

liquid phase for ‘1’ is hypothetical, it follows, the Henry’s law
constant is necessarily a hypothetical quantity as well


• It is also a function of temperature H1   1 f1

Henry’s law constant for gases in water:

• Hacetylene =1350bar
• Hcarbon dioxide =1670bar
• Hair =72950bar
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