A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more chemically non-reacting substances whose composition can be varied within certain limits.
| Class | Solute | Solvent | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaseous | Gas | Gas | Air |
| Liquid | Gas | Chloroform in $N_2$ | |
| Solid | Gas | Camphor in $N_2$ | |
| Liquid | Gas | Liquid | Soda Water ($CO_2$) |
| Liquid | Liquid | Ethanol in water | |
| Solid | Liquid | Sugar in water | |
| Solid | Gas | Solid | $H_2$ in Palladium |
| Liquid | Solid | Hg in Na (Amalgam) | |
| Solid | Solid | Copper in Gold |
In an amalgam of mercury with sodium, which substance is the solute and which is the solvent? What type of solution is this?
Number of moles of solute dissolved in exactly 1 Litre of solution.
$$ M = \frac{w_2 \times 1000}{M_2 \times V(\text{in mL})} \quad [\text{mol/L}] $$Number of moles of solute dissolved in exactly 1 kg ($1000\text{ g}$) of the solvent.
$$ m = \frac{w_2 \times 1000}{M_2 \times W_1(\text{in grams})} \quad [\text{mol/kg}] $$Using density ($d$) in $\text{g/mL}$ and solute molar mass ($M_2$) in $\text{g/mol}$:
Calculate the mole fraction of ethylene glycol ($\text{C}_2\text{H}_6\text{O}_2$) in a solution containing $20\%$ of $\text{C}_2\text{H}_6\text{O}_2$ by mass in water.
The density of $3\text{ M}$ solution of $\text{NaCl}$ is $1.25\text{ g mL}^{-1}$. Calculate the molality of the solution.
A solution contains $10\text{ g}$ glucose in $90\text{ g}$ water. Find mass percentage of glucose.
Calculate the molarity of a solution containing $4.9\text{ g}$ of $\text{H}_2\text{SO}_4$ in $250\text{ mL}$ of solution.
Find molality of a solution prepared by dissolving $9.2\text{ g}$ ethanol ($M=46$) in $200\text{ g}$ water.
State whether each statement is True/False: (i) Molarity decreases on heating. (ii) Molality decreases on heating.
"At a constant temperature, the solubility of a gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas present above the surface of the liquid."
To increase the solubility of $CO_2$ gas in carbonated soft drinks, sodas, and champagne, the bottles are sealed tightly under **extremely high pressure**.
At high underwater pressures, atmospheric gases dissolve deeply in a diver's blood. If they ascend rapidly, pressure drops, and dissolved nitrogen forms painful, dangerous bubbles in the bloodstream, blocking capillaries (**"The Bends"**).
Prevention: Breathing tanks are diluted with Helium ($11.7\% \text{ He}$, $56.2\% \text{ N}_2$, $32.1\% \text{ O}_2$) because Helium has exceptionally low solubility in blood.
At high altitudes, the partial pressure of oxygen is much lower than at sea level. This leads to low concentrations of oxygen in the tissues and blood of climbers, causing physical weakness and cognitive impairment�a condition known as **Anoxia**.
If $N_2$ gas is bubbled through water at $293\text{ K}$, how many millimoles of $N_2$ gas would dissolve in $1\text{ Litre}$ of water? Assume $N_2$ exerts a partial pressure of $0.987\text{ bar}$. Given $K_H$ for $N_2$ at $293\text{ K}$ is $76.48\text{ kbar}$.
At constant pressure, if the Henry constant ($K_H$) for a gas doubles with temperature, what happens to its solubility (qualitatively)?
The pressure exerted by vapours in thermodynamic equilibrium with its liquid phase at a constant temperature in a closed container.
"For a solution of volatile liquids, the partial vapour pressure of each component in the solution is directly proportional to its mole fraction present in the solution."
$$ p_1 = p_1^0 x_1 \quad \text{and} \quad p_2 = p_2^0 x_2 $$The total pressure ($P_{total}$) over the solution is the sum of the partial pressures:
Mole fraction in vapour phase: $ y_1 = p_1 / P_{total} $ and $ y_2 = p_2 / P_{total} $.
When a **non-volatile solute** (like sugar, salt, or urea) is added to a pure volatile solvent, the vapour pressure of the resulting solution is **always lower** than that of the pure solvent.
Both equations state that the partial pressure of the volatile component is proportional to its mole fraction in the solution. They differ only in the proportionality constant. **Raoult's law is a special case of Henry's law where $K_H = p_i^0$.**
Obey Raoult's law precisely across the entire concentration range.
Examples: Benzene+Toluene; n-Hexane+n-Heptane.
Do not obey Raoult's law. Vapour pressure is either higher or lower.
The total vapour pressure of the mixture is **higher** than expected from Raoult's law calculations.
Examples: Ethanol + Acetone; $CS_2$ + Acetone.
The total vapour pressure of the mixture is **lower** than expected from Raoult's law calculations.
Examples: Chloroform + Acetone; Phenol + Aniline; $HNO_3$ + $H_2O$.
A liquid mixture which has the **exact same composition** in both the liquid phase and the vapour phase at equilibrium. They boil at a single, constant temperature, behaving like a pure liquid. They cannot be separated by fractional distillation.
Vapour pressures of pure chloroform ($\text{CHCl}_3$) and dichloromethane ($\text{CH}_2\text{Cl}_2$) at $298\text{ K}$ are $200\text{ mm Hg}$ and $415\text{ mm Hg}$ respectively. Calculate the vapour pressure of the solution prepared by mixing $25.5\text{ g}$ of $\text{CHCl}_3$ and $40\text{ g}$ of $\text{CH}_2\text{Cl}_2$ at $298\text{ K}$.
When 50 mL of liquid A and 50 mL of liquid B are mixed, the volume of the resulting solution is found to be 99 mL. What type of deviation from Raoult's law does this solution show?
For a binary ideal solution at $300\text{ K}$, $p_A^0=300\text{ mmHg}$, $p_B^0=150\text{ mmHg}$ and $x_A=0.40$. Find total vapour pressure.
A solution shows $\Delta H_{mix}<0$ and $\Delta V_{mix}<0$. Predict deviation from Raoult's law.
Why can ethanol-water mixture not be fully separated by fractional distillation?
"Properties of dilute solutions that depend strictly and solely on the **number of solute particles** (ions or molecules) present in the solution, and are completely **independent of their chemical identity or nature**."
For highly dilute solutions, moles of solute ($n_2$) are negligible compared to moles of solvent ($n_1$). Thus, $n_1 + n_2 \approx n_1$.
A liquid boils when its vapour pressure equals atmospheric pressure. Since adding non-volatile solutes lowers vapour pressure, the solution must be heated to a *higher* temperature to boil.
Molar Mass ($M_2$) Formula: $ \Delta T_b = \frac{K_b \times w_2 \times 1000}{M_2 \times w_1} $
Unit of $K_b$: $\text{K kg mol}^{-1}$. For water: $K_b = 0.52\text{ K kg mol}^{-1}$.
Freezing point is the temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance have identical vapour pressure. Since a solution has lower vapour pressure, it freezes at a *lower* temperature.
Molar Mass ($M_2$) Formula: $ \Delta T_f = \frac{K_f \times w_2 \times 1000}{M_2 \times w_1} $
Unit of $K_f$: $\text{K kg mol}^{-1}$. For water: $K_f = 1.86\text{ K kg mol}^{-1}$.
Osmosis: Spontaneous flow of solvent molecules through a Semi-Permeable Membrane (SPM) from pure solvent to solution (or from dilute to concentrated solution).
Osmotic Pressure ($\pi$): The excess external pressure that must be applied to the solution side to exactly halt osmosis.
If a pressure **greater than the osmotic pressure** ($\pi$) is applied directly to the solution side, the direction of flow reverses: pure solvent molecules are forced *out* of the solution through the semi-permeable membrane.
Boiling point of water at $750\text{ mm Hg}$ is $99.63^\circ\text{C}$. How much sucrose ($\text{C}_{12}\text{H}_{22}\text{O}_{11}$) must be added to $500\text{ g}$ of water such that it boils at $100^\circ\text{C}$? ($K_b$ for water $= 0.52\text{ K kg mol}^{-1}$).
$200\text{ cm}^3$ of an aqueous solution of a protein contains $1.26\text{ g}$ of the protein. The osmotic pressure of such a solution at $300\text{ K}$ is found to be $2.57 \times 10^{-3}\text{ bar}$. Calculate the molar mass of the protein. ($R = 0.083\text{ L bar K}^{-1}\text{mol}^{-1}$).
Calculate RLVP when the vapour pressure of pure water is $31.8\text{ mmHg}$ and that of the solution is $31.0\text{ mmHg}$.
A solution of a non-volatile solute in water shows a freezing point depression of $0.93\text{ K}$. Calculate the molality of the solution. ($K_f \text{ for water} = 1.86\text{ K kg mol}^{-1}$).
A $0.01\text{ M}$ non-electrolyte solution at $300\text{ K}$ has what osmotic pressure? ($R = 0.083\text{ L bar mol}^{-1}\text{K}^{-1}$).
Explain why saline solution ($0.9\%$ w/v NaCl) is given in hospitals as isotonic fluid.
Colligative properties depend strictly on the number of solute particles. Ionic solutes **dissociate** in polar solvents, and organic solutes **associate** in non-polar solvents, changing the actual count of particles.
We multiply every colligative formula by $i$:
A $0.5\% \text{ w/w}$ aqueous solution of $\text{KCl}$ was found to freeze at $-0.24^\circ\text{C}$. Calculate the Van't Hoff factor and degree of dissociation of $\text{KCl}$. ($K_f \text{ for water} = 1.86\text{ K kg mol}^{-1}$, Molar mass of KCl $= 74.5$).
$2\text{ g}$ of benzoic acid ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_5\text{COOH}$) dissolved in $25\text{ g}$ of benzene shows a freezing point depression of $1.62\text{ K}$. $K_f \text{ for benzene} = 4.9\text{ K kg mol}^{-1}$. Find percentage association if it dimerizes.
If observed colligative property is 2.7 times the theoretical value for $\text{AlCl}_3$, estimate the Van't Hoff factor and infer dissociation behavior.
A salt $\text{AB}_2$ dissociates into $\text{A}^{2+}$ and $2\text{B}^-$. If the experimental Van't Hoff factor is $2.2$, calculate the degree of dissociation ($\alpha$) of the salt.
For dimerization, if $i=0.80$, find the degree of association.
1. Re-solve all 25 practice numerical problems step by step.
2. Pay high attention to temperature-dependent units vs invariant units.
3. Master the signs ($\Delta H$, $\Delta V$, $P_{obs}$) for deviations.