Title : Colligative properties : Boiling point elevation, Freezing point depression and molar

mass determination.
Date : 17/6/2020

Objectives :
1. To study and determine the freezing and boiling point of pure water and of a sodium
chloride-pure water solution.
2. To calculate the molality of sodium chloride based on different values of mass of
solutes added to the solution.
3. To study and analyse how does the mass of solutes added affect the boiling and freezing
point of pure water.

Introduction :
Colligative properties are the properties of solutions which depend on the amounts of
dissolved particles in the solution, not based on the identities of the solutes added. There are
four colligative properties of a solution which include the freezing point depression, boiling
point elevation, osmotic pressure and vapor pressure lowering. In this experiment, only
freezing point depression and boiling point elevation will be studied and observed.
Freezing point depression is the lowering of freezing point of a solution when a certain
solute dissolved in a pure solvent and formed the solution with lower freezing point than the
initial freezing point of the pure solvent. On the other hand, boiling point elevation is the
increasing of the boiling point of a pure solvent by adding a certain concentration of solute and
form a new solution. The boiling point of the new solution will be higher than the boiling point
of the pure solvent. The change in temperature, ∆T in both freezing point depression and
boiling point depression is directly proportional to the concentration of solutes added, based
on:
∆Tf = -i ∙ Kf ∙ m
where ∆Tf freezing point depression, i is the van’t Hoff factor, Kf is the molal freezing point
depression constant for the solvent and m is the molality of the solution.
∆Tb = i ∙ Kb ∙ m
where ∆Tb boiling point elevation, i is the van’t Hoff factor, Kb is the boiling point constant for
the solvent and m is the molality of the solution.
In the experiment, molality is used because it is not affected by the changes in volume caused
by variation of temperatures. The relationship between molality and mol can be shown as :
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
molality, m = 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡
The van’t Hoff factor , i is assumed to be equal to number of ions per formula unit of the
electrolyte. For a salt, the limit of i can be determined from the number of ions per formula
unit. In this experiment, sodium chloride, NaCl is used, the limiting van’t Hoff factor for NaCl
is 2 because NaCl consists of Na+ ion and Cl‾ ion.
In this experiment, firstly the boiling point and freezing point of pure water will be
determined. Next, a certain amount of sodium chloride, NaCl will be added to a certain amount
of pure water to form a new solution. Then, the boiling point and freezing point of the new
solution will be determined. Then, in order to study how the mass of solutes added the
increasing of boiling point and the decreasing of freezing point of a solution, a certain amount
of NaCl is added into the pure water starting from 2g to 10g. A graph will be plotted to study
how the mass of solutes added affect the freezing point and the boiling point of the pure water.
Then, the molality of NaCl is determined.

MATERIALS :
- Computer
- Simulation Software
- Sodium Chloride, NaCl
- Water
- Stirrer
- Test tube
- Water bath
PROCEDURE :
Freezing point depression

Part I : Freezing point of pure water

1. The cold bath button was clicked on the simulation screen.
2. Water was selected as the solvent and the mass was set to 100g while solutes is
remained as 0g.
3. The ‘Start’ button was clicked.
4. The temperature obtained was recorded as freezing point of pure water ( T1 ).
5. The ‘micro level reaction’ was clicked and the figure was screen captured and labelled
as pure water ( Figure 1 ).
6. ‘Reset’ was clicked to start new simulation test.
Part II : Freezing point of sodium chloride-pure water solution
1. The cold bath button was clicked on the simulation screen.
2. Water was selected as the solvent and the mass was set to 100g.
3. Sodium Chloride was clicked as the solute and set to 10g.
4. The ‘Start’ button was clicked.
5. The temperature obtained was recorded as freezing point of sodium chloride-pure water
( T2 ).
6. The ‘micro level reaction’ was clicked and the figure was screen captured and labelled
as sodium chloride-pure water solution ( Figure 2 ).
7. ‘Reset’ was clicked to start new simulation test.

Part III : Effect of mass of solutes on the freezing point of sodium chloride-pure water solution
1. The cold bath button was clicked on the simulation screen.
2. Water was selected as the solvent and the mass was set to 100g.
3. Sodium Chloride was clicked as the solute.
4. The mass of the solutes was set to 2g.
5. The ‘Start’ button was clicked.
6. The temperature obtained was recorded.
7. Step 1-6 were repeated by changing the mass of solutes to 4g, 6g, 8g, and 10g.
8. ‘Reset’ was clicked to start new simulation test.

Boiling point elevation

Part I : Boiling point of pure water

1. The hot bath button was clicked on the simulation screen.
2. Water was selected as the solvent and the mass was set to 100g while solutes is
remained as 0g.
3. The ‘Start’ button was clicked.
4. The temperature obtained was recorded as boiling point of pure water ( T3 ).
5. The ‘micro level reaction’ was clicked and the figure was screen captured and labelled
as pure water ( Figure 3 ).
6. ‘Reset’ was clicked to start new simulation test.
Part II : Boiling point of sodium chloride-pure water solution
1. The hot bath button was clicked on the simulation screen.
2. Water was selected as the solvent and the mass was set to 100g.
3. Sodium Chloride was clicked as the solute and set to 10g.
4. The ‘Start’ button was clicked.
5. The temperature obtained was recorded as boiling point of sodium chloride-pure water
( T4 ).
6. The ‘micro level reaction’ was clicked and the figure was screen captured and labelled
as sodium chloride-pure water solution ( Figure 4 ).
7. ‘Reset’ was clicked to start new simulation test.

Part III : Effect of mass of solutes on the boiling point of sodium chloride-pure water solution
1. The hot bath button was clicked on the simulation screen.
2. Water was selected as the solvent and the mass was set to 100g.
3. Sodium Chloride was clicked as the solute.
4. The mass of the solutes was set to 2g.
5. The ‘Start’ button was clicked.
6. The temperature obtained was recorded.
7. Step 1-6 were repeated by changing the mass of solutes to 4g, 6g, 8g, and 10g.
8. ‘Reset’ was clicked to start new simulation test.
RESULTS :
Freezing point depression :

Pure Water ( Figure 1 )

Sodium chloride-pure water solution ( Figure 2 )

Boiling point elevation :

Pure water ( Figure 3 )

Sodium chloride-pure water ( Figure 4 )

Freezing point depression :

Freezing point depression

Solvent: Water, H2O
Mass: 100 g

solutes Mass of solutes (g) Temperature recorded (°C)

Without solutes 0 0.00
Sodium chloride 10 -5.78

1. ∆T = T2 – T1
∆T = - 5.78 ºC – 0.0ºC = -5.78ºC
2.

3.

Freezing point depression

Solvent: Water, H2O
Solutes: Sodium Chloride, NaCl
Temperature of solvent: 25ºC

Mass of solutes (g) Temperature recorded (°C) Molality (mol kg-1)

2 -1.24 0.33
4 -2.30 0.62
6 -3.59 0.97
8 -4.71 1.27
10 -5.78 1.55
Boiling point elevation :

Boiling point elevation

Solvent: Water, H2O
Mass: 100 g

solutes Mass of solutes (g) Temperature recorded (°C)

Without solutes 0 100.00
Sodium chloride 10 101.58

1. ∆T = T4 – T3
∆T = 101.58ºC – 100.00ºC = 1.58ºC
2. 3.

Boiling point elevation

Solvent: Water, H2O
solutes: Sodium Chloride, NaCl
Temperature of solvent: 25ºC

Mass of solutes (g) Temperature recorded (°C) Molality (mol kg-1)

2 100.34 0.33
4 100.65 0.64
6 100.97 0.95
8 101.29 1.26
10 101.58 1.55
Freezing point depression :

Boiling point elevation :

DISCUSSION :
1. Freezing point depression
For the first part of the freezing point depression, the freezing point of pure water is determined
by freezing 100g of pure water in a cold bath. From the results, the experimental value is 0ºC
which is equal to theoretical value which means there is no error in finding the freezing point
of pure water. In the micro level reaction, the arrangement of particles in pure water can be
seen in Figure 1 from the result as the arrangement of particles of a solid when the pure water
particles start to solidify when they are being frozen. Moving on to part two, 10g of sodium
chloride, NaCl is added to the pure water to form a sodium chloride-pure water solution. This
new solution is then frozen in cold bath again to determine the freezing point of the solution.
According to the result, the freezing point of the solution is decreased to -5.78ºC. The
decrement of this freezing point is due to the adding of solutes into the solution. Based on
Figure 2, the micro level reaction shows that there are two types of particles. The blue indicates
pure water, while the orange indicates particles of the solute which is NaCl. From the figure
itself, there are addition of particles in the solution compared than pure water from part I.
Hence, when there are more particles in the solution, the particles need to lose more heat in
order to solidify completely. Therefore, the temperature for the solution to freeze which is the
freezing point is -5.78ºC which is lower than the freezing point of pure water.
From part III, the results and the graph show that as the mass of solutes increases, the
temperature decreases. As explained, this is because by increasing the mass of solutes, the mole
of solutes in the solution also increases which means there are more particles in the solution
that need to lose heat in order to form a solid. The mole of solutes added in each solution can
be calculated by finding the molality of the solution. The change in temperature can be
calculated by using the equation, ∆T = Tf ( solution ) – Tf (solvent).
For instance, the molality of NaCl when 2g of sodium chloride is added is as below :
And the amount of NaCl added ( in mol ) can be calculated as below :

The mol of NaCl of 4g and 6g NaCl added are calculated as follow :

4g : 6g :

Comparing the different amount of mol of NaCl added, as the mol of NaCl increases, the
freezing point decreases. When the mass of solvent is constant, but the mol of solutes keeps
increasing, it will increase the molality of the solution. Based on the equation of the freezing
point depression, change of temperature, ∆T is directly proportional with the molality if i and
Kf are constant. Hence, the freezing point of solution decreases when mass of solutes increases.

2. Boiling point elevation

For the first part of the boiling point elevation, the boiling of pure water is determined by
boiling 100g of pure water in a hot bath. From the results, the experimental value is 110ºC
which is equal to theoretical value which means there is no error in finding the boiling point of
pure water. In the micro level reaction, the arrangement of particles in pure water can be seen
in Figure 3 from the result. The arrangement of particles indicates that water particles start to
move more freely and faster as it gain more energy from the heat. Moving on to part two, 10g
of sodium chloride, NaCl is added to the pure water to form a sodium chloride-pure water
solution. This new solution is then boiled in hot bath again to determine the boiling point of
the solution. According to the result, the boiling point of the solution increased to 101.58ºC.
This increment of the boiling point is due to the adding of solutes into the solution. Based on
Figure 4, the micro level reaction shows that there are two types of particles. The blue indicates
pure water, while the orange indicates particles of the solute which is NaCl. From the figure
itself, there are addition of particles in the solution compared than pure water in Figure 3.
Hence, when there are more particles in the solution, the particles need to gain more heat in
order to reach the boiling point. Therefore, the boiling point of the new solution is 101.58ºC
which is higher than the freezing point of pure water.
From part III, the results and the graph show that as the mass of solutes increases, the
temperature increases. As explained, this is because by increasing the mass of solutes, the mole
of solutes in the solution also increases which means there are more particles in the solution
that need to gain heat in order to completely boil. The mole of solutes added in each solution
can be calculated by finding the molality. The change in temperature can be calculated by using
the equation, ∆T = Tf ( solution ) – Tf (solvent).
For instance, the molality of NaCl when 6g of sodium chloride is added is as below :

And the amount of NaCl added ( in mol ) can be calculated as below :

The mol of NaCl of 4g NaCl added are calculated as follow :

Comparing the different amount of mol of NaCl added, as the mol of NaCl increases, the
boiling point increases. When the mass of solvent is constant, but the mol of solutes keeps
increasing, it will increase the molality of the solution. Based on the equation of the freezing
point depression, change of temperature, ∆T is directly proportional with the molality if i and
Kb are constant. Therefore, the boiling point increases as the mass of solutes increases.
Reliability
This experiment is done by using simulation software. Therefore, there was no error
made as the software makes precise reading. Hence, there are no systematic error or random
error in this experiment. No percentage error needed to be calculated and the result is reliable.
However, one difficulty faced during the use of the simulation software is software lagging due
to poor connection. The browser was stuck for a few times before it can be accessed.
Based on the objectives of the experiment, which is to study the freezing point
depression and boiling point elevation of a solution, and to calculate the molality of solutes,
the results are completely acceptable as the freezing point and boiling point of the pure water
and sodium chloride-pure water solution are determined and the molality of the solution can
be calculated. In addition, by adding various mass of solutes, NaCl into the pure water, the
graph of temperature vs mass of solutes is plotted for each freezing point and boiling point so
the effect of mass of solutes on the boiling point and freezing point of a solution can be
observed and studied. The micro level reaction also shows the cause of freezing point
depression and boiling point elevation by adding a certain amount of solute into a pure solvent.

Modification
The modification that can be done to ensure no difficulties in conducting the simulation
is to use a LAN cable or stay closer to the wifi router to get a better connection.
QUESTIONS :
1. The van’t Hoff factor can be determined as the number of ions per formula unit. NaCl
consists of ion Na+ and Cl‾, while ethylene is a non-electrolyte. Therefore , the van’t
Hoff factor for NaCl is 2 while ethylene is 1 because the van;t Hoff factor for all non-
electrolyte is 1. Both NaCl and ethylene has the same amount of mol, assuming the
kilograms of solvent is 1kg, therefore the molality for both substances is the same. The
molal freezing point constant is also the same. Hence, considering the equation ,
∆Tf = -i ∙ Kf ∙ m , when Kf is constant and m is constant, when the i is plugged into the
equation, NaCl will have a lower freezing point than ethylene because the value is
multiplied by 2 compared to ethylene which is multiplied by 1.

2. The vapour pressure of the solvent is not affected, because the sodium chloride-pure
water solution only contains one volatile component which is pure water. Hence, based
on the equation of vapour pressure which is Psolution = XsolventP*solvent, the amount of
solute has no effect on the vapour pressure of solvent.

3. For freezing point depression, in the kitchen , we can add salt into water to make the
water take a longer time to freeze than usual. For boiling point elevation, when cooking
something, to prevent overcooked because of too much boiling, salt is added to make
sure the food is cooked with the correct amount of heat without overcooking it.

4. Molarity is amount of substance in a certain volume of solution. Molality is number of

moles of solutes per kilograms of solvent. Molality is the most suitable to be used in
colligative properties because volume is dependant on temperature while mass of
solutes is independent with temperature. Molarity changes when volume changes with
the temperature but molality remain constant. Therefore, molality is preferred in
expressing concentration.
5.
CONCLUSION :
Based on the experiment we can conclude that as the mass of NaCl increases, the boiling
point of the solution increases and freezing point decreases. Therefore , the hypothesis is
accepted. Based on the theory, the freezing point depression equation, ∆Tf = -i ∙ Kf ∙ m, when
the van’t Hoff factor and molal freezing point constant are the same, the change of temperature
is directly proportional with molality, because of the negative sign, when molality increases,
∆Tf decreases. When the mass of NaCl increases, the mol of NaCl in the solution increases.
Therefore, the molality increases and the freezing point decreases. The same theory goes to
boiling point elevation, where ∆Tb is directly proportional with molality. Hence, ∆Tb increases
when molality increases. Based on the results, the highest mass of solute added which is 10g
of NaCl resulted in the highest increment of boiling point and the greatest decrement of the
freezing point of the sodium chloride-pure water solution. Meanwhile, the lowest increment
and decrement of freezing and boiling point were resulted by adding the lowest mass of NaCl
which is 2g. For example, the freezing point of the solution with 10g of NaCl is -5.78ºC and
boiling point is 101.58ºC. While with 2g of NaCl , the freezing point is -1.24ºC and the boiling
point is 100.34ºC. From the experiment, there is a thing learnt which is the boiling point of a
solution can be increases and the freezing point of a solution can be decreases by adding a
certain amount of solute into the solvent. In real life, there is a lot of application of the boiling
point elevation and freezing point depression. For instance, for boiling point elevation, anti-
boil is added into the water in car radiator so that the engine can operate in much higher
temperature without running out of water to cool down the engine. For freezing point
depression, to prevent ice from forming on the road, salt is added on the road to let it dissolves
with the water particles or moisture on the road and prevent the water to form ice quickly.
There are no possible errors in this experiment simulation because simulation software is used
which gives precise reading.

Link for lab simulation video :

https://utpmy-
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