Critical Pressure—A Suggested New Definition

Abstract

THE critical pressure of a substance is commonly defined as “the least pressure that will suffice to reduce that substance from the gaseous to the liquid state when at its critical temperature.” But this definition contemplates the matter solely from the stand point of what occurs at the critical temperature, and I think it would sometimes be an advantage to have one presenting a broader view and making no reference to any specific temperature, just as the ordinary definition of critical temperature makes no reference to any specific pressure.