COLLIGATIVE PROPERTIES OF

NONELECTROLYTES AND ELECTROLYTE

SOLUTIONS
Colligative Properties

• are properties of a solution that depend only

on the number and not on the identity of the
solute particles.
• Thus, these depend on the collective effect of
the concentration of solute particles present
in an ideal solution.
Colligative Properties

• Because of their direct relationship to the

number of solute particles, the colligative
properties are very useful for characterizing
the nature of a solute after it is dissolved in a
solvent and for determining the molar
masses of substances
 Effect of solute concentration on the
colligative properties of solutions

• The effect would depend on the ratio of the number of

particles of solute and solvent in the solution and not
on the identity of the solute.
• However, it is necessary to take into account whether the
solute is an electrolyte or a nonelectrolyte.
NONVOLATILE SOLUTE
 • Vapor pressure is a direct measure of
escaping tendency of molecules.
• A pure liquid (solvent) in a closed
container will establish equilibrium with
1) VAPOR
PRESSURE
its vapor. And when that equilibrium is
LOWERING reached, the pressure exerted by the
vapor is called the vapor pressure.
• A substance that has no measurable
vapor pressure is nonvolatile, while one
that exhibits a vapor pressure is volatile.
NOTE:

• The addition of a nonvolatile solute resulted to a lowering of the

vapor pressure of the solvent.
• The lowering of the vapor pressure depends on the number of
solute particles that have been dissolved. The chemical nature
of the solute is not considered because vapor pressure is merely
a physical property of the solvent and does not undergo a
chemical reaction with the solvent and does not itself escape
into the gas phase.
 When a liquid evaporates easily, it will have a large number of
its molecules in the gas phase resulting to a high vapor pressure.
MOLE FRACTION
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 1:

Calculate the vapor pressure of a

solution made by dissolving 50.0 g
glucose, C6H12O6, in 500 g of water. The
vapor pressure of pure water is 47.1 torr at
37°C
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 2:

The vapor pressure of an aqueous solution

is found to be 24.90 mmHg at 25 °C. What is
the mole fraction of solute in this solution?
The vapor pressure of water is 25.756 mm Hg
at 25 °C.
ELECTROLYTE VS.
NONELECTROLYTE
 While the chemical nature of the solute
is not a factor to consider, it is important
to take into consideration whether the
solute is an electrolyte or
nonelectrolyte.
 STRONG ELECTROLYTES

• Ionic compounds like sodium chloride, NaCl,

are strong electrolytes that dissociate into ions
when they dissolve in solution results in a larger
number of dissolved particles.
 Consider two different solutions of equal concentration: one is
made from ionic compound NaCl, while the other is made from
the molecular compound glucose (C6H12O6). The equations below
show what happens when these solutions dissolve :
• The sodium chloride, NaCl dissociates into 2 ions, while
glucose does not dissociate. Thus, equal concentrations of each
solution will result in twice as many dissolved particles as in the
case of NaCl.
• The vapor pressure of the solvent in NaCl solution (electrolyte)
will be lowered twice as much as that of the solvent in the
glucose (nonelectrolyte) solution.
• Since the surface now of salt solution is covered by more solute
particles, there is less room for solvent molecules to evaporate
lowering the vapor pressure of the solvent, water.
 2) BOILING POINT ELEVATION

The addition of a nonvolatile solute

lowers the vapor pressure of the solution;
consequently the temperature must be
raised to restore the vapor pressure of the
solution to the value conforming to the
pure solvent.
Specifically, the temperature at which
the vapor pressure is 1 atm will be higher
than the normal boiling point by an amount
known as the boiling point elevation.
 The figure shows the phase diagram of a solution and the
effect that the lowered vapor pressure has on the boiling point of
the solution compared to the solvent.
In this case the sucrose solution has a higher boiling point than
the pure solvent. Since the vapor of the solution is lower, more
heat must be supplied to the solution to bring its vapor pressure
up to the pressure of the external atmosphere. The boiling point
elevation is the difference in temperature between the boiling
point of the pure solvent and that of the solution.
BOILING POINT ELEVATION
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 1:

Calculate the boiling point of a solution

containing 5g sucrose C12H22O11 dissolved in 180
g of water H2O. The mass of solute (5g) is given
which is dissolved in 180 g of solvent, water H2O.
(Kb of H2O= 0.512°C/m, Normal boiling point of
water = 100°C)
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 2:

What is the new boiling point of a

solution prepared by adding 85.0 g of
sodium chloride (NaCl) to 356 g of
water? The boiling point constant for
water is 0.52 °C kg/mol.
 The freezing point of a substance is
the temperature at which the solid and
liquid forms can coexist indefinitely, at
3) FREEZING POINT equilibrium. Under these conditions
DEPRESSION
molecules pass between the 2 phases
at equal rates because their escaping
tendencies from the two phases are
identical.
 The figure shows the phase diagram for a pure solvent
and how it changes when a solute is added to it. The
solute lowers the vapor pressure of the solvent resulting
in a lower freezing point for the solution compared to the
pure solvent. The freezing point depression is the
difference in temperature between the freezing point of a
pure solvent and that of a solution. On the graph, Tf
represents the freezing point depression.
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 1:

What is the freezing point depression

when 62.5 g of toluene (C7H8) is dissolved
in 477 g of naphthalene (C10H8)? The
freezing point constant for naphthalene is
7.00 °C/m.
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 2:

Determine the freezing point of a

solution of 10.0g Urea, CO(NH2)2,
in 2.50 x 102 g of water. The normal
freezing point of water is 0°C and Kf
= 1.86°C/m
 HOW TO CALCULATE THE
MOLAR MASS OF A SOLUTE
FROM FREEZING POINT
DEPRESSION OR BOILING POINT
ELEVATION DATA
 STEPS

Step 1: Calculate molality from m= ΔTf/Kf or m = ΔTb/Kb.

Express as mol solute/kg solvent.
Step 2: Using molality as a conversion factor between
moles of solute and kilograms of solvent, find the number
of moles of solute.
Step 3: Use the defining equation for molar mass, MM ≡
g/mol, to calculate the molar mass of the solute.
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 1

What is the molecular mass of an organic

compound if 15.0 g of the compound is
dissolved in 220.0 g of carbon tetrachloride
(CCl4) raising the boiling point to 84.36˚C?
Boiling point of carbon tetrachloride is
76.72˚C, Kb for CCl4 = 5.02˚C/m.
 SAMPLE PROBLEM 2

How many grams of Pyrazine (C4H4N2)

would have to be dissolved in 2 kg of
carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to lower the
freezing point by 5.6°C? The freezing
point constant for carbon tetrachloride is
30.0°C/m.