Question

How does Gay Lussac's law explain the use of a pressure cooker?

Answer 1

Gay Lusaac's law holds that at constant volume, `P` `prop` `T`.

Explanation:

At `1` `atm` pressure we know that the boiling point of water (the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the water is equal to `1` `atm`) is equal to `100` `""^@C`.

If we increase the ambient pressure, the boiling point of the water should increase, and indeed it does, so you can cook at temperatures `>` `100""^@C` and potentially reduce cooking time. I had a colleague once from Sri Lanka who would cook curries in a pressure cooker - he got beautiful tender meat in an hour or so, rather than the 6-8 hours it would take with a normal saucepan.