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Ch.13 - Properties of Solutions
All textbooksBrown 15th EditionCh.13 - Properties of SolutionsProblem 64a
Chapter 13, Problem 64a

You make a solution of a nonvolatile solute with a liquid solvent. Indicate if each of the following statements is true or false.
a. The solid that forms as the solution freezes is nearly pure solute.

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1
Identify the components of the solution: a nonvolatile solute and a liquid solvent.
Understand the process of freezing: as the solution cools, the solvent molecules begin to form a solid structure (crystal lattice).
Consider the nature of the solute: since it is nonvolatile, it does not easily escape into the vapor phase and remains in the solution.
Recognize that during freezing, the solvent molecules preferentially form the solid phase, while the solute remains in the liquid phase or is excluded from the crystal lattice.
Conclude that the solid that forms as the solution freezes is nearly pure solvent, not solute, because the solute is typically excluded from the solid crystal lattice of the solvent.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Colligative Properties

Colligative properties are properties of solutions that depend on the number of solute particles in a given amount of solvent, rather than the identity of the solute. These properties include boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, vapor pressure lowering, and osmotic pressure. Understanding these properties is essential for predicting how a solute will affect the physical characteristics of a solvent.
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Colligative Properties

Freezing Point Depression

Freezing point depression occurs when a solute is added to a solvent, resulting in a lower freezing point than that of the pure solvent. This phenomenon is a direct consequence of colligative properties, where the presence of solute particles disrupts the formation of the solid structure of the solvent, requiring a lower temperature to achieve freezing. This concept is crucial for understanding the behavior of solutions at low temperatures.
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Freezing Point Depression

Purity of Crystals

When a solution freezes, the solid that forms is typically composed of the solvent in a crystalline structure, while the solute remains dissolved in the liquid phase. As a result, the solid that forms is nearly pure solvent, not solute. This principle is important in crystallization processes and helps explain why the statement about the solid being nearly pure solute is false.
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The crystal field splitting pattern for octahedral complexes has the d orbitals on or along the axes as having the higher energy.
Related Practice
Textbook Question

Assume that a portable reverse-osmosis apparatus operates on seawater, whose effective concentration (the concentration of dissolved ions) is 1.12 M, and that the desalinated water output has an effective molarity of about 0.02 M. What minimum pressure must be applied by hand pumping at 297 K to cause reverse osmosis to occur?

Textbook Question

You make a solution of a nonvolatile solute with a liquid solvent. Indicate if each of the following statements is true or false.

b. The freezing point of the solution is independent of the concentration of the solute.

Textbook Question

a. The vapor pressure of pure water at 60°C is 149 torr. What vapor pressure is predicted by Raoult’s law for a solution at 60°C that is 50 mol% water and 50 mol% ethylene glycol (a nonvolatile solute)?