Slope of Saturated Vapor Pressure Curve

Slope of the saturated vapor pressure curve, abbreviated as m, describes how the vapor pressure of a substance changes with temperature when the substance is in equilibrium between its liquid and vapor phases.  This slope is crucial in thermodynamics, particularly in the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, which relates the change in vapor pressure to temperature.  The slope indicates how sensitive the vapor pressure is to changes in temperature. 

Implications

• The slope is generally steeper at higher temperatures, indicating that vapor pressure increases rapidly with temperature near the boiling point.
• The slope helps explain phenomena like boiling, condensation, and atmospheric processes, as it governs the relationship between temperature and vapor pressure.

 

Slope of Saturated Vapor Pressure Curve Formula
\( m  \;=\;  4098\; [\; 0.6108 exp \;( 17.27 \; T_{mean} \;/\; T_{mean} + 273.3 ) \;]  \;/\; ( T_{mean} + 273.3 )^2 \)
Symbol	English	Metric
\( m \) = Slope of Saturated Vapor Pressure Curve	-	\(kPa\;/\;C\)
\( exp \) = 2.7183 (Base of Natural Logarithm)	-	\(dimensionless\)
\( T_{mean} \) = Mean Daily Air Temperature at 2 Meters Height	-	\(C\)