DEPARTMENT OF PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY

VSU, Visca, Baybay City, Leyte

Name: Castil, Joyce B. Date Performed: October 17, 2018

Lab. Schedule: MWF 1:00-4:00 pm Date Submitted: October 24, 2018
Group No: 6 Rating:

Experiment No. 11
Molar Mass Determination Using Freezing Point Depression

Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the molar mass of non-volatile,
nonelectrolyte solute using the freezing point depression, to observe and measure the effect
of solute on freezing point of the solvent, to prepare and to interpret a cooling curve. In a
test tube the students putted a 3.57 g of pure solvent cyclohexane that was placed in ice-
water bath and recorded the freezing point which was 8 ⁰C. The students have repeated the
procedure but this time a solution was in the test tube, the combination of naphthalene and
cyclohexane. The students have recorded 3 ⁰C, temperature that was lower that the freezing
point of the solvent. This indicates freezing point depression, that was used in determining
the molar mass. Using this equation ∆𝑇𝑓 = 𝑘𝑓 𝑚 the students have calculated the molar
mass which was 84 g/mol.

Introduction
A liquid with something dissolved in it has different physical properties than the
pure liquid alone. That liquid is called solvent which has definite physical property, the
substance dissolved in it is solute, and the resulting mixture is a solution. With the addition
of solute, the physical properties of solvent are no longer definite but dependent on the
amount of solute being added. These physical properties that depend on the number of
solute dissolves in solvent are colligative properties. One of the colligative properties is
freezing point, a presence of solute causes the freezing temperature to lower before freezing
occurs for a pure solvent; this is called freezing point depression. The relationship between
the changes in freezing point to the molality of the solution where molar mass can be
computed are directly proportional. A cooling curve is a data plot of temperature versus
time showing the rate of cooling of a substance in its phase change, freezing points of
solvent and solution are obtained from it.

Results
Mass of beaker + test tube 148.99 g
Freezing point of solvent, from cooling curve 8 ⁰C
Unknown solute no. and name Unknown no. 6 Naphthalene
Mass of beaker + test tube + cyclohexane 158.56 g
Mass of cyclohexane 3.57 g
Tare mass of added solute 0.2 g
Freezing point of sol’n, from cooling curve 3 ⁰C
kf for cyclohexane 20 ⁰C kg/mol
Freezing point change, ∆Tf 5 ⁰C
Mass of cyclohexane in solution 9.6 x 10-3 kg
Moles of solute, total 2.4 x 10-3 mol
Mass of solute in sol’n, total 0.2 g
Molar mass of solute 84 g/mol

Calculations
 Moles of solute
∆𝑇𝑓 ∙ 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 =
𝑘𝑓
5.0 ⁰𝐶 ∙ 0.00957 𝑘𝑔
=
20.0 ⁰𝐶 𝑘𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙
= 0.002392
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 = 2.4 𝑥 10−3 𝑚𝑜𝑙
  Molar mass of solute
0.20 𝑔
𝑀𝑀 =
2.4 𝑥 10−3 𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑔
= 83.59
𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑀𝑀 = 84 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙

Table 1. Temperature vs. Time

Temperature 340 s 6 ⁰C 3 ⁰C
Time
Solvent Solution 360 s 3 ⁰C
0s 30 ⁰C 31 ⁰C 380 s 3 ⁰C
20 s 25 ⁰C 23 ⁰C 400 s 3 ⁰C
40 s 15 ⁰C 13 ⁰C 420 s 3 ⁰C
60 s 10 ⁰C 8 ⁰C 440 s 2 ⁰C
80 s 9 ⁰C 7 ⁰C 460 s 2 ⁰C
100 s 9 ⁰C 7 ⁰C 480 s 2 ⁰C
120 s 8 ⁰C 6 ⁰C 500 s 2 ⁰C
140 s 8 ⁰C 6 ⁰C 520 s 2 ⁰C
160 s 8 ⁰C 6 ⁰C 540 s 1 ⁰C
180 s 8 ⁰C 5 ⁰C 560 s 1 ⁰C
200 s 8 ⁰C 5 ⁰C 580 s 1 ⁰C
220 s 8 ⁰C 5 ⁰C 600 s 1 ⁰C
240 s 8 ⁰C 5 ⁰C 620 s 0 ⁰C
260 s 7 ⁰C 5 ⁰C 640 s 0 ⁰C
280 s 7 ⁰C 4 ⁰C 660 s 0 ⁰C
300 s 7 ⁰C 4 ⁰C 680 s 0 ⁰C
320 s 6 ⁰C 4 ⁰C 700 s 0 ⁰C
 35

30

25
TEMPERATURE (⁰C)

20

15

10

0
0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 400 440 480 520 560 600 640 680
TIME (s)

Solvent Solution

Figure 1. Cooling Curve of Solvent and Solution

Discussion
The students get the freezing point of the pure solvent which was cyclohexane that
weighs 3.57 g through ice-water bath, a 400 mL beaker inside 600 mL beaker with ice
where the test tube with cyclohexane was placed mounted with thermometer. The students
set a time which started at the moment the test tube was placed in the ice-water bath. The
initial temperature as shown in table 1 and figure 1 was 30 ⁰C, the students continued
recording until the temperature have stop lowering. The constant temperature was 8 ⁰C
which was the freezing point, the temperature at which liquid changes to solid. Afterwards
the students get another test tube with the same amount of cyclohexane to be putted with
the unknown solute which was naphthalene weighing 0.2 g. The test tube with the solution
was placed in the ice-water bath, the students started recording the time with the
temperature at the moment the test tube was placed in the ice-water bath. The initial
temperature of the solution was 31 ⁰C, the students have recorded the freezing point of the
solution which was 3 ⁰C. The results have showed freezing point depression, a presence of
solute causes the freezing temperature to lower before the freezing occurs. The freezing
point of the solution was lower than the freezing point of the pure solvent because when
the cyclohexane started to freeze, its molecules slow down due to the decrease in
temperature, and the intermolecular forces started to take over. The molecules were then
arranged in a pattern, and thus turn into solid but the solute naphthalene was added, the
molecules of naphthalene interfered with the formation of the large network solid known
as ice. Using the data in table 1 the students have plotted a cooling curve, a graph that
shows the temperature versus time. The graph in figure shows the comparison of the
freezing point of the pure solvent and solution, on how the freezing point occur, also as the
time increases the temperature decreases. Using the data that the students have gathered,
the students have calculated the molar mass of solute. To get the molar mass of solute, the
student first gets the moles of solute by multiplying the ∆𝑇𝑓 to the mass of solute divided
by 𝑘𝑓 which resulted to 2.4 𝑥 10−3 𝑚𝑜𝑙, this was important as it not only indicates the point
of the freezing point depression but serves to understand the amount of free energy coming
from the pure solvent and solute when combined. By lowering the temperature, there was
a decrease in free energy. Therefore, the freezing point depression was directly
proportional to the molality of the solution. In getting the molar mass of solute the students
have divided the mass of solute in the solution by the moles of solute which resulted to
84 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the students have determined the molar mass of non-volatile,
nonelectrolyte solute using the freezing point depression. The students were able to
observed and measured the effect of solute on freezing point of the solvent and have
prepared and interpret a cooling curve.

Post-Laboratory Questions
1. Some of the cyclohexane solvent vaporized during the temperature versus time
measurement (consider measurement during: pure solvent and solution). Will this
loss of cyclohexane result in its freezing point being recorded as too high, too low,
or unaffected? Explain.
 2. Some of solid solute adheres to the side of the test tube during the freezing point
determination of the solution, will the reported moles of solute in the solution be
too high, too low, or unaffected? Explain.
3. You add 2.00 kg of ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) antifreeze to your car radiator, which
contains 8900 g of water. What are the boiling and freezing points of the solution?

Literature Cited

Colligative Properties of Solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from

http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/principles-of-general-chemistry-v1.0/s17-
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Chemistry 104: Molecular Weight by Freezing Point Depression. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.chem.latech.edu/~deddy/chem104/104Freeze.htm. (accessed on 18
October 2018).
Flemming, P. (2017, August 25). Chem Libretexts. Retrieved from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Textbook_Maps/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry
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lumenCandela. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-

chemistry/chapter/colligative-properties-of-nonelectrolyte-solutions/. (accessed
on 18 October 2018).