If the boiling point elevation of an aqueous solution containing a non-volatile nonelectrolyte is 0.48◦C, what is the molality of the solution?

Answer in units of molality.

1 Answer
Jan 15, 2018

I got "0.94 molal"0.94 molal to two sig figs.


Boiling point elevation is given by:

DeltaT_b = T_b - T_b^"*" = iK_bm,

where:

  • T_b is the boiling point of the solvent in the context of the solution (in ""^@ "C"), and "*" indicates pure solvent.
  • i is the van't Hoff factor, i.e. the effective number of solute particles that have dissociated from the original solute particles.
  • K_b = 0.512^@ "C"cdot"kg/mol" is the boiling point elevation constant of water.
  • m is the molality of the solution in "mols solute/kg solvent".

The solute is a nonelectrolyte, so i = 1. It also is nonvolatile, so it does not alter the vapor pressure other than through means of concentration at the surface.

Therefore,

DeltaT_b = 0.48^@ "C" = (1)(0.512^@ "C"cdot"kg/mol")cdot m

=> color(blue)(m) = (0.48^@ "C")/((1)(0.512^@ "C"cdot"kg/mol"))

= color(blue)(0.93_8 " mols solute/kg solvent")