What is the part of the total pressure exerted by a gas called?

The part of the total pressure exerted by a gas in a mixture is called partial pressure. This term refers to the pressure that a specific gas contributes to the overall pressure of the gas mixture. In a mixture of gases, each gas exerts its own pressure independently of the others; therefore, the total pressure is the sum of the partial pressures of each gas present.

This concept is important in various physiological contexts, such as understanding oxygen and carbon dioxide transport in the blood and their respective roles in respiration and metabolism. The principles behind partial pressure can help explain how gases are exchanged in the lungs and how they interact with body tissues.

Atmospheric pressure, while related, refers to the total pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere at a given location, not the individual contributions from each gas in a mixture. Total pressure simply sums all the gas pressures together, and visceral pressure is not a term typically used in this context, as it generally pertains to the pressure within body cavities rather than gas behavior.