Raoults law

• RAOULT ’S LAW HAS BEEN NAMED AFTER FRANÇOIS -MARIE

RAOULT, A FRENCH CHEMIST, WHO WHILE CONDUCTING AN
EXPERIMENT, FOUND OUT THAT WHEN SUBSTANCES WERE
MIXED IN A SOLUTION, THE VAPOUR PRESSURE OF THE
SOLUTION DECREASED SIMULTANEOUSLY. RAOULT ’S LAW WAS
ESTABLISHED IN THE YEAR 1887 AND IS ALSO CONSIDERED AS
THE LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
What Is Raoult’s Law?
Raoult’s law states that a solvent’s partial vapour pressure in a solution (or mixture) is equal or
identical to the vapour pressure of the pure solvent multiplied by its mole fraction in the
solution.
Mathematically, Raoult’s law equation is written as:
Psolution = ΧsolventP0solvent

Where,
Psolution = vapour pressure of the solution
Χsolvent = mole fraction of the solvent
P0solvent = vapour pressure of the pure solven
Further, we will understand the principle behind the law by looking at the example below.
Consider a solution of volatile liquids A and B in a container. Because A and B are both volatile, there would be both
particles of A and B in the vapour phase.
Hence, the vapour particles of both A and B exert partial pressure, which contributes to the total pressure above the
solution.

Raoult’s law further states that at equilibrium,

Pa= P°A xA, Pb= P°b xB
Where PA is the partial pressure of A.
P°A is the vapour pressure of pure A at that temperature.
xA is the mole fraction of A in the liquid phase.
Similarly, PB, P°B, xB
Hence,
1. Is Raoult’s law valid for all types of solutions?
Solution:
No, Raoult’s law is valid only in the case of ideal solutions.
In an ideal solution, the solvent-solute interaction is the same as a solvent–solvent
or solute–solute interaction. This implies both the solute and the solvent takes the
same amount of energy to escape to the vapour phase as when they are in their
pure states.
2. Is the graph of pressure vs mole fraction
always a straight line?
Solution:
If the solution is ideal, the 3 graphs (PA, PB and
PT) will always be a straight line because