What principle explains how gas dissolves in liquid proportionally to its partial pressure?

The principle that describes how a gas dissolves in a liquid in proportion to its partial pressure is known as Henry's Law. This law states that at a constant temperature, the amount of a gas that dissolves in a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas above the liquid. This means that if the partial pressure of the gas increases, more of it will dissolve in the liquid, and conversely, if the pressure decreases, less will dissolve.

This relationship is crucial in various applications, including calculating how gases behave in physiological contexts, such as in the human bloodstream. For example, when a diver ascends to the surface, the reduction in pressure causes dissolved nitrogen to come out of solution, which can lead to decompression sickness if not managed properly.

The other principles listed, while related to the behavior of gases, do not specifically address the solubility of gases in liquids as it pertains to changes in partial pressure. Boyle's Law pertains to the volume and pressure of a gas at constant temperature, the Ideal Gas Law relates to the behavior of gases more generally and combines several gas laws, while Dalton's Law concerns the total pressure of a gas mixture and how it relates to the partial pressures of individual gases, but does not