General Chemistry 2

2 ND SEMESTER - MODULE 4

COLLIGATIVE PROPERTIES
OF SOLUTIONS
Objectives

• Describe the effect of concentration on the colligative properties of solutions

• Differentiate the colligative properties of nonelectrolyte solutions and
electrolyte solutions
• Calculate boiling point elevation and freezing point depression from the
concentration of a solute in a solution
• Calculate molar mass from colligative property
• Describe laboratory procedures in determining the concentration of solutions
 Electrolyte and Nonelecrolyte

Solutions can be formed from the physical combination of

different solutes and solvents. An aqueous solution is water
that contains one or more dissolved substances. Water is
generally the solvent in aqueous solutions as it has the ability to
dissolve a lot of substances, both electrolytes, and
nonelectrolytes.
An electrolyte is a substance that forms ions when dissolved in
water, which is then able to conduct a current (conductivity).
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid
separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because
water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the
strong electrostatic forces between them. This process represents
a physical change known
as dissociation.
In an aqueous solution, a strong electrolyte is considered to be
completely ionized or dissociated in water, meaning it is soluble.
Strong acids and bases are usually strong electrolytes. In solutions
containing strong electrolytes, only ions are present. Many ionic
compounds are soluble in water. However, not all ionic compounds
are soluble. Ionic compounds that are soluble in water exist in their
ionic state within the solution. The dissociation equation for three
ionic salts are shown below:

KCl (s)  K+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

MgCl2 (s)  Mg2+ (aq) + 2Cl- (aq)
Al(NO3)3 (s)  Al3+ (aq) + 3NO3- (aq)
The arrows used point only to the direction of the formation of ions (right
side). The equation shows 100% ionization of the ionic compounds in
water since, in the solid form, the compounds do not form ions and will
not be able to conduct electricity.

Ionic compounds that are not completely dissociated or ionized in water

are classified as weak electrolytes. Weak acids and bases are generally
weak electrolytes. In a solution of weak electrolytes, both ions and
molecules exist; thus, the dissociation equation would show arrows
pointing to both the reactants and products. The double arrow represents
a reversible reaction.

HCH3COO (aq) ⇌ H+ (aq) + CH3COO- (aq)

NH4OH (aq) ⇌ NH4 + (aq) + OH- (aq)
A nonelectrolyte is a compound that does not ionize in solution at all. A solution
that contains nonelectrolytes will not conduct electricity. Many molecular
compounds, such as sugar or ethanol, which are primarily held together by covalent
rather than ionic bonds, are nonelectrolytes. Glucose (sugar) or C6H12O6 readily
dissolves in water but does not dissociate into ions in solution. It is considered a
nonelectrolyte.

• Most soluble ionic compounds and few molecular compounds are strong
electrolytes.
• Most molecular compounds are weak or nonelectrolytes.

Strong electrolytes have a better tendency to supply ions to the aqueous solution
than weak electrolytes ononelectrolytes because of the degree or extent of their
dissociation or ionization in water. Thus, strong electrolytes have a greater effect
on the properties of a solution.
In Module 3, you have discussed the different quantitative ways of
expressing the concentration of solutions - % concentration, molarity (M),
molality (m), and mole fraction.

Molality is an intensive property of a solution and is defined as the number

of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent. Molal concentration is
used when the temperature is a concern. Molarity depends on the volume,
but volume can change when the temperature changes. Molality is based
on the mass of solvent used to create the solution because mass does
not change as the temperature changes. Since molality is a more accurate
measure of solutes in solution when working with a range of temperature (or
pressure), it is often used in comparing and determining colligative
properties.
A saltwater solution. Table salt readily dissolves in water to form a
solution. If the masses of the salt and of the water are known, the molality
can be determined. Try this problem on molality calculation.

Problem No. 1. Calculate the molality of a solution

prepared from 29.22 grams of NaCl in 2.00 kg of
water.

Answer: The molality of the NaCl solution is 0.25

molal.
Calculations for molality are straightforward. Just remember to
find the number of moles of solute and the mass of the solvent.
If the mass of the solvent is unknown, the volume is often given.
In such a case, use the density of the solvent to find the mass of
solvent that you need.
Lesson 3: EFFECTS OF CONCENTRATION ON
THE COLLIGATIVE PROPERTIES OF SOLUTION

Colligative properties of solutions are properties that

depend upon the concentration of solute molecules or
ions, but not upon the identity of the solute. Colligative
properties include vapor pressure lowering, boiling point
elevation, freezing point depression, and osmotic pressure.
Lowering the Vapor Pressure
Vapor pressure is the pressure of a vapor in thermodynamic
equilibrium with its condensed phase in a closed container. When a non-
volatile solute is dissolved in a solvent, the vapor pressure of the solvent is
lowered. The presence of solute decreases the rate of escape of solvent
molecules resulting in lower vapor pressure.

Boiling Point Elevation

The boiling point of a liquid is defined as the temperature at which the

vapor pressure of that liquid equals the atmospheric pressure (760mm Hg). The
addition of the solute increases the boiling point of the solution. The atmospheric
pressure remains the same while the vapor pressure of the solution is lowered
resulting in the increase of the difference in atmospheric pressure and vapor
pressure of the solution. Therefore, a higher temperature is required to boil the
solution.
Freezing Point Depression

Normal freezing or melting point is the temperature at which solid and

liquid are in equilibrium under 1 atm. The addition of solute will decrease the
vapor pressure and so will decrease the freezing point.

For a liquid to freeze it must achieve a very ordered state that results in
the formation of a crystal. If there are impurities in the liquid, i.e. solutes, the
liquid is inherently less ordered. The presence of impurities in a liquid or a
substance makes a variation in the freezing point by making them low or high.
Therefore, a solution is more difficult to freeze than a pure solvent so a lower
temperature is required to freeze the liquid.
Osmotic Pressure

Imagine you have a cup that has 100 ml water, and you add 15 g of table
sugar to the water.

Imagine now that you have a second cup with 100ml of water, and you
add 45 grams of table sugar to the water. Just like the first cup, the sugar is the
solute, and the water is the solvent. But now you have two mixtures of different
solute concentrations.

In comparing two solutions of unequal solute concentration, the solution

with the higher solute concentration is hypertonic, and the solution with the
lower solute concentration is hypotonic. Solutions of equal solute concentration
are isotonic. The first sugar solution is hypotonic to the second solution. The
second sugar solution is hypertonic to the first.
 You now add the two solutions to a beaker that has been
divided by a selectively permeable membrane, with pores that are
too small for the sugar molecules to pass through, but are big
enough for the water molecules to pass through. The hypertonic
solution is on one side of the membrane and the hypotonic
solution on the other. The hypertonic solution has a lower water
concentration than the hypotonic solution, so a concentration
gradient of water now exists across the membrane. Water
molecules will move from the side of higher water concentration
to the side of lower concentration until both solutions are isotonic.
At this point, equilibrium is reached.
Osmosis -is the movement of solvent molecules through a
semipermeable membrane from the side with pure solvent to the side
with the solution. It could also be the movement of solvent molecules
from a region (A) of low concentration (dilute) to a region (B) of high
concentration (concentrated). A semipermeable membrane allows the
passage of solvent molecules but not the solute molecules. The
movement of solvent molecules continues until the concentration on
both sides is the same, with an increase in the volume of the solution
(or more concentrated solution).