Question
Question: Vapour pressure of pure water at 298 K is \(23.8\) mmHg. 50 g of urea is dissolved in 850 g of water...
Vapour pressure of pure water at 298 K is 23.8 mmHg. 50 g of urea is dissolved in 850 g of water. Calculate the vapour pressure of water for this solution at its relative lowering.
Solution
The vapour pressure of a solvent is the pressure exerted by the vapour of the solvent on the walls of the container and the addition of solute to the solvent reduces this vapour pressure. This relative lowering of the vapour pressure solution is dependent on the number of the solute molecules.
Formula used:
P0P0− P = M2×w1w2×M1
Complete step by step answer:
The relative lowering of vapour pressure is a colligative property of the solution that is mathematically represented as:
P0P0− P = M2×w1w2×M1
Here, w2 = 50 g, Molecular weight of urea, M2=60.06 , w1 = 850 g, M1 = 18 g/mol and the vapour pressure of the pure solvent P0 = 23.8 mmHg
Putting the values of the variable in the equation, we get,
23.823.8−P = 60.6×85050×18
⇒23.8−P = 5151021420=0.415
⇒ P = 23.8−0.415 = 23.385 mmHg
Solving this we get, the final vapour pressure of the solution is 23.385mm of Hg.
The relative lowering of vapour pressure is thus, P0P0−P=P0ΔP = 23.80.415 = 0.0174
As this is a ratio of two quantities so the relative lowering has no unit.
Note:
The colligative properties of the solution depend on the number of the solute molecules present in the solution and not on the type or the nature of the solute.
Besides the lowering of vapour pressure, there are three other colligative properties namely, elevation in boiling point of the solvent, depression in freezing point of the solvent and osmotic pressure.