ABSTRACT
The saturated vapour pressure of a volatile agent (SVP, see below) is a partial pressure (albeit the maximum that can be achieved at a given temperature), and this formula is used in calculating the saturation concentration of a vapour, e.g. the SVP for isoflurane at 20°C is 250mmHg. If ambient pressure is 760mmHg, then the maximum possible concentration of isoflurane is calculated from:
If the SVP is given in kPa, the calculation becomes even simpler, because, if the ambient pressure is taken to be 100 kPa, the SVP and the saturation concentration have, for practical purposes, the same value.
