Understanding Solutions and Concentrations
Understanding Solutions and Concentrations
Solvent:-Generally, the component that is present in the largest quantity is known as solvent.
Solvent determines the physical state in which solution exists.
Solute:-One or more components present in the solution other than solvent are called solutes.
Generally present in smaller quantity.
𝑇
𝑜
𝑡
𝑎
𝑙
𝑜
𝑓
𝑡
𝑒
𝑠
𝑜
𝑙
𝑢
𝑡
𝑖
𝑜
𝑛
Volume percentage Volume % of a component = × 100
volume h
𝑜
𝑓
𝑡
𝑒
𝑐
𝑜
𝑚
𝑝
𝑜
𝑛
𝑒
𝑛
𝑡
𝑖
𝑛
𝑡
𝑒
𝑠
𝑜
𝑙
𝑢
𝑡
𝑖
𝑜
𝑛
(V/V):
For example, 10% ethanol solution in water means that 10 mL of ethanol is dissolved in water such
that the total volume of the solution is 100 mL.
Solutions containing liquids are commonly expressed in this unit.
For example, a 35% (v/v) solution of ethylene glycol, an antifreeze, is used in cars for cooling the
engine
commonly used in medicine and pharmacy. It is the mass of solute dissolved in 100 mL of the solution.
Expressing Concentration of
Solutions
Parts per million (ppm)=
Concentration in ppm can also be expressed as mass to mass, volume to volume and mass to
volume.
A litre of sea water (which weighs 1030 g) contains about 6 ×  g of dissolved oxygen . Expressed as 5.8 ppm
of sea water.
The concentration of pollutants in water or atmosphere is often expressed in terms of  or ppm.
in a binary mixture, if the number of moles of A and B are nA and nB respectively, the mole
fraction of A will be 
In a given solution sum of all the mole fractions is unity, i.e. 
Expressing Concentration of
Molarity: Molarity (M) is definedSolutions
as number of moles of solute dissolved in one litre of solution.

Its unit is 
For example, 0.25 M solution of NaOH means that 0.25 mol of NaOH has been dissolved in one litre of its
solution .
 w=mass of solute in g, M= Molar mass of solute =volume of solution in millilitre
Mass %, ppm, mole fraction and molality are independent of temperature, whereas molarity is
a function of temperature. This is because volume depends on temperature and the mass
does not.
Practice Time:-
1. Calculate the mole fraction of ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) in a solution containing 20% of C2H6O2 by
mass.
Answer:- 20% of C2H6O2 by mass means 20 g of ethylene glycol and 80 g of water.
Molar mass of C2H6O2 = 12 × 2 + 1 × 6 + 16 × 2 = 62 .
Moles of C2H6O2 = 0.322 mol
Moles of water = = 4.444 mol
 
=
Mole fraction of water =1 – 0.068 = 0.932
[Link] the molarity of a solution containing 5 g of NaOH in 450 mL solution.
Answer:-
Given:- Mass of solute, w= 5g
Volume of solution, V=450 mL
Molar mass of solute(NaOH), M=40 g/mol
 = 0.278 M
Polar solutes dissolve in polar solvents and non polar solutes in nonpolar solvents. In general, a
solute dissolves in a solvent if the intermolecular interactions are similar in the two or we may say
like dissolves like.
E.g. sodium chloride and sugar dissolve readily in water, naphthalene and anthracene do not.
On the other hand, naphthalene and anthracene dissolve readily in benzene but sodium chloride
and sugar do not.
Dissolution :-When a solid solute is added to the solvent, some solute dissolves and its
concentration increases in solution. This process is known as dissolution.
Crystallisation :-Some solute particles in solution collide with the solid solute particles and get
separated out of solution. This process is known as crystallisation.
At a state of dynamic equilibrium
Rate of dissolution= rate of crystallization
Solute + Solvent Solution
Saturated solution:- solution in which no more solute can be dissolved at the given temperature and
pressure is called a saturated solution.
The concentration of solute in saturated solution is referred as its solubility
Unsaturated solution :- Solution in which more solute can be dissolved at the given
temperature.
Effect of temperature
As per Le Chateliers Principle, if in a saturated solution, the dissolution process is
endothermic (Δsol H > 0), the solubility increases with rise in temperature and if it is exothermic
(Δsol H < 0) the solubility decreases.
Effect of pressure
Pressure does not have any significant effect on solubility of solids in liquids. It is so because solids
and liquids are highly incompressible and practically remain unaffected by changes in pressure.
Solubility of a Gas in a Liquid
Henry’s law:-The law states that 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 liquid or solution.
If we use the mole fraction of a gas in the solution as a measure of its solubility, then it can be said that the
mole fraction of gas in the solution is proportional to the partial pressure of the gas over the solution.
The most commonly used form of Henry’s law states that “the partial pressure of the gas in vapour phase
(p) is proportional to the mole fraction of the gas (x) in the solution” and is expressed as:
p = KH x slope of the line= p
 is the Henry’s law constant and function of the nature of the gas.
Higher the value of  at a given pressure, the lower is the solubility of the gas in the liquid x
 values increase with increase of temperature indicating that the solubility of gases decreases with increase of
temperature.
It is due to this reason that aquatic species are more comfortable in cold waters rather than in warm waters
Applications of Henry’s law:-
To increase the solubility of CO2 in soft drinks and soda water, the bottle is sealed under high pressure.
Scuba divers must cope with high concentrations of dissolved gases while breathing air at high
pressure underwater. Increased pressure increases the solubility of atmospheric gases in blood.
When the divers come towards surface, the pressure gradually decreases. This releases the
dissolved gases and leads to the formation of bubbles of nitrogen in the blood. This blocks capillaries
and creates a medical condition known as bends, which are painful and dangerous to life. To avoid
bends, as well as, the toxic effects of high concentrations of nitrogen in the blood, the tanks used by scuba
divers are filled with air diluted with helium
At high altitudes the partial pressure of oxygen is less than that at the ground level. This leads to low
concentrations of oxygen in the blood and tissues of people living at high altitudes or climbers. Low
blood oxygen causes climbers to become weak and unable to think clearly, symptoms of a condition
known as anoxia.
Exampl If N2 gas is bubbled through water at 293 K, how many millimoles of N2 gas would dissolve in 1
e
litre of water? Assume that N2 exerts a partial pressure of 0.987 bar. Given that Henry’s law
constant for N2 at 293 K is 76.48 kbar.
Solutio
n
The solubility of gas is related to the mole fraction in aqueous solution. The mole fraction of the gas
in the solution is calculated by applying Henry’s law. p = KH x
p (nitrogen) = 0.987 bar , KH = 76.48 kbar = 76480 bar

As 1 litre of water contains 55.5 mol of it, therefore if  represents number of moles of  in solution,

( in denominator is neglected as it is < < 55.5)


Vapour Pressure of Liquid-Liquid Solutions
Thus, for component 1 ∝  and p1 =  = vapour pressure of pure component 1 at the same temperature.
for component 2 ∝  and  =  = vapour pressure of pure component 2 at the same temperature.
= + 
= +  Following conclusions can be drawn from the following equation-
+ =  
(i) Total vapour pressure over the solution can be related to the mole fraction

of any one component.
=( + 
(ii) Total vapour pressure over the solution varies linearly with the mole
= +  fraction of component 2.
=  (iii) Depending on the vapour pressures of the pure components 1 and 2, total
=   vapour pressure over the solution decreases or increases with the increase of
Similarly =   the mole fraction of component 2.
The composition of vapour phase in equilibrium with the solution is determined by the
partial pressures of the components.
If  and  are the mole fractions of the components 1 and 2 respectively in the vapour phase
then, using Dalton’s law of partial pressures:
 
 
Exampl
e
Vapour pressure of chloroform (CHCl3) and dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) at 298 K are 200 mm Hg and 415 mm
Hg respectively. (i) Calculate the vapour pressure of the solution prepared by mixing 25.5 g of CHCl 3 and 40 g
of CH2Cl2 at 298 K and, (ii) mole fractions of each component in vapour phase.
Solutio (i), Molar mass of CHCl3 = 119.5 g /mol , Molar mass of CH2Cl2 = 85 g /mol
n
Moles of  = 0.213 mol , Moles of CH Cl =
2 2
(ii) Using  we can calculate the mole fraction of the components in gas phase (y)
First use p1 =  .5 mm Hg
=  + =+ =62.4+285.5=347.9 mm Hg

Raoult’s Law as a special case of Henry’s Law
If we compare the equations for Raoult’s law and Henry’s law, it can be seen that the partial
pressure of the volatile component or gas is directly proportional to its mole fraction in solution.
Only the proportionality constant KH differs from .
Thus, Raoult’s law becomes a special case of Henry’s law in which KH becomes equal to .
Vapour Pressure of Solutions of Solids in Liquids
Liquids at a given temperature vapourise and under equilibrium
conditions the pressure exerted by the vapours of the liquid over
the liquid phase is called vapour pressure
The enthalpy of mixing of the pure components to form the solution is zero and the volume of mixing is
also zero, i.e., 
It means that no heat is absorbed or evolved when the components are mixed. Also, the volume of solution would
be equal to the sum of volumes of the two components
At molecular level, consider two components A and B, in pure components, the intermolecular attractive
interactions will be of types A-A and B-B, whereas in the binary solutions in addition to these two
interactions, A-B type of interactions will also be present.
If the intermolecular attractive forces between the A-A and B-B are nearly equal to those between A-B,
this leads to the formation of ideal solution.
Nearly ideal solutions are solution of n-hexane and n-heptane, bromoethane and chloroethane,
benzene and toluene.
Non-ideal Solutions:-
When a solution does not obey Raoult’s law over the entire range of concentration, then it is called
non-ideal solution.
The vapour pressure of non-ideal solution is either higher or lower than that predicted by Raoult’s law .If
it is higher, the solution exhibits positive deviation and if it is lower, it exhibits negative deviation from
Raoult’s law.
Positive Deviation Negative Deviation
0 0
𝑝
2
𝑝
2
0 0
𝑝
1
𝑝
1
Azeotropes-
Binary mixtures having the same composition in liquid and vapour phase and boil at a constant
temperature are known as azeotropes.
It is not possible to separate the components azeotropes by fractional distillation.
There are two types of azeotropes called minimum boiling azeotrope and maximum boiling azeotrope.
The solutions which show a large positive deviation from Raoult’s law form minimum boiling azeotrope
at a specific composition . For example, 95% by volume of ethanol in water
The solutions that show large negative deviation from Raoult’s law form maximum boiling azeotrope at a
specific composition. E.g.68% nitric acid and 32% water by mass, with a boiling point of 393.5 K.
Colligative Properties
Properties depend on the number of solute particles irrespective of their nature relative to the
total number of particles present in the solution are called colligative properties
These are:
(1) Relative lowering of vapour pressure of the solvent
(2) Depression of freezing point of the solvent
(3) Elevation of boiling point of the solvent and
(4) osmotic pressure of the solution.
Relative Lowering of Vapour Pressure:-
The vapour pressure of a solvent in solution containing non-volatile solute is less than that of the pure
solvent.
Relation between vapour pressure of the solution, mole fraction and vapour pressure of the solvent,
i.e., p1 = 
The reduction or lowering in the vapour pressure of solvent () is given as:
 we know 

 = relative lowering of vapour pressure

Here  the number of moles of solvent and solute respectively present in the solution.
For dilute solutions  < < , hence neglecting  in the denominator we have



The increase in boiling point  is known as elevation
in boiling point.
Elevation of Boiling
Point:-
For dilute solutions the elevation of boiling point (ΔTb) is directly proportional to the molal concentration of
the solute in a solution. Thus
 or 
m=molality =Boiling Point Elevation Constant or Molal Elevation Constant (Ebullioscopic Constant).
The unit of  is K kg   if m=1 then 
 =mass of solute in g, =mass of solvent in g, = Molar mass of solute in g/mol

Depression of Freezing Point
The values of  and , which depend upon the nature of the solvent, can be ascertained from the following
relations
 
Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure
Raw mangoes shrivel when pickled in brine (salt water);
Wilted flowers revive when placed in fresh water,
Raisins (Kishamish) swell in water
blood cells collapse when suspended in saline water,
The flow of the solvent from its side to solution side across a
semipermeable membrane can be stopped if some extra
pressure is applied on the solution. This pressure that just
stops the flow of solvent is called osmotic pressure of the
solution.
 
This method is widely used to determine molar masses of proteins, polymers and other macromolecules.
The osmotic pressure method has the advantage over other methods because:
1. Osmotic pressure is measured around the room temperature and
2. Molarity of the solution is used instead of molality.
3. As compared to other colligative properties, its magnitude is large even for very dilute solutions.
4. Biomolecules are generally not stable at higher temperatures and polymers have poor solubility.
Two solutions having same osmotic pressure at a given temperature are called isotonic solutions.
When such solutions are separated by semipermeable membrane no osmosis occurs between them.
Two solutions having different osmotic pressure at a given temperature, the one with lower osmotic
pressure is called hypotonic solution and another one with higher osmotic pressure is called hypertonic
solution
For example, the osmotic pressure associated with the fluid inside the blood cell is equivalent to that of
0.9% (mass/ volume) sodium chloride solution, called normal saline solution and it is safe to inject
intravenously.
On the other hand, if we place the cells in a solution containing more than 0.9% (mass/volume) sodium
chloride, water will flow out of the cells and they would shrink. Such a solution is called hypertonic.
If the salt concentration is less than 0.9% (mass/volume), the solution is said to be hypotonic. In this
case, water will flow into the cells if placed in this solution and they would swell.
Phenomena explained on the basis of osmosis:-
A raw mango placed in concentrated salt solution loses water via osmosis and shrivel into pickle.
Wilted flowers revive when placed in fresh water.
A carrot that has become limp because of water loss into the atmosphere can be placed into the
water making it firm once again. Water will move into its cells through osmosis.
When placed in water containing less than 0.9% (mass/ volume) salt, blood cells swell due to flow
of water in them by osmosis.
People taking a lot of salt or salty food experience water retention in tissue cells and intercellular
spaces because of osmosis. The resulting puffiness or swelling is called edema.
Water movement from soil into plant roots and subsequently into upper portion of the plant is partly due
to osmosis.
The preservation of meat by salting and of fruits by adding sugar protects against bacterial action.
Through the process of osmosis, a bacterium on salted meat or candid fruit loses water, shrivels and dies.
Reverse Osmosis and Water Purification:-
The direction of osmosis can be reversed if a pressure larger than the osmotic pressure is applied
to the solution side.
Flow of the pure solvent out of the solution through the semi permeable membrane is called
reverse osmosis and is of great practical utility.
Reverse osmosis is used in desalination of sea water
𝑝
𝑀
𝑤
1 1 2 1
relative lowering of vapour = 2=
𝑥
2×
0
𝑝
𝑝
𝑤
𝑀
pressure 1 1
× × 1000 = 0
+∆
𝑀
𝑤
𝑏
Elevation of Boiling
𝑏
2
𝑏
∆ = =
𝑇
𝑇
𝑇
𝑏
𝑏
𝑇
𝐾
𝑚
Point ×
𝑏
2 1
𝐾
𝑤
Depression of Freezing × × 1000 = 0
−∆
𝑀
𝑤
𝑓
𝑓
2
𝑓
∆ = =
𝑇
𝑇
𝑇
𝑓
𝑓
𝑇
𝐾
𝑚
Point ×
𝑓
2 1
𝐾
𝑤
2
𝑀
𝑉
Osmotic 𝜋
=
pressure 2
𝑤
𝑅
𝑇
Example (Based on relative lowering of vapour
pressure)
The vapour pressure of pure benzene at a certain temperature is 0.850 bar. A non-volatile, non-
electrolyte solid weighing 0.5 g when added to 39.0 g of benzene (molar mass 78 g/mol). Vapour
pressure of the solution, then, is 0.845 bar. What is the molar mass of the solid substance?
Solutio
n Given 


Therefore, M2 = 170 
Example (Based on Elevation of Boiling Point) Calculating boiling point
Solutio
n
Given :- K kg 
We know 

 or 
Boiling point of water=373.15 K =
Boiling point of solution=373.15+0.052=373.202 K =100+0.052= 
Example (Based on Elevation of Boiling Point) Calculating molar mass of solute
The boiling point of benzene is 353.23 K. When 1.80 g of a non-volatile solute was dissolved in
90 g of benzene, the boiling point is raised to 354.11 K. Calculate the molar mass of the solute.
Kb for benzene is 2.53 K kg 
Solutio
n Given :- K kg 




Molar mass of solute=
Example (Based on Depression of Freezing Point) Calculating freezing point of solution
45 g of ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) is mixed with 600 g of water. Calculate (a) the freezing point
depression and (b) the freezing point of the solution.  K kg 
Solutio Given :- 
n
We know 

 or 
Solutio
Given :- K kg  ,
n



Molar mass of solute=
Example (Based on Osmotic pressure)
200  of an aqueous solution of a protein contains 1.26 g of the protein. The osmotic
pressure of such a solution at 300 K is found to be 2.57 ×  bar. Calculate the molar mass
of the protein.
Solutio
n
Given: π = 2.57 ×  bar,  V = 200 = 0.200 litre
T = 300 K R = 0.083 


Abnormal Molar Masses:-
Molar mass that is either lower or higher than the expected or normal value is called as abnormal molar
mass.
E.g. Normal molar mass of KCl is 74.5 g/mol, but if measured by using colligative properties it comes 37.25
g/mol. Actually one mole of KCl dissociate to give one mole each of  ions i.e. 2 moles of particles (assuming 100
% dissociation). As we know colligative properties are directly proportional to number of particles .Then  for KCl will
be twice the normal value. And Molar mass is inversely proportional to the colligative properties. Therefore, the
molar mass calculated on the basis of this  will be half the expected value
E.g. Molecules of ethanoic acid (acetic acid, Normal molar mass 60 g/mol) dimerise in benzene due to hydrogen
bonding. In this case the number of particles is reduced to half due to dimerization and  for ethanoic acid will be half
of the normal value. . Therefore ,the molar mass calculated on the basis of this  will be twice(120 g/mol) the
expected value.(Assume that all the molecules associate)
van’t Hoff factor (i):-
In 1880 van’t Hoff introduced a factor i, known as the van’t Hoff factor, to account for the extent of
dissociation or association
Here abnormal molar mass is

the experimentally determined
 molar mass and
Calculated colligative properties

are obtained by assuming that
In case of association, < 1 the non-volatile solute is neither
associated nor dissociated
for dissociation , > 1
If no association no dissociation =1
For example, the value of for aqueous KCl solution is 2 (assuming 100 % dissociation), while the value for
ethanoic acid in benzene is 0.5 (Assume that all the molecules associate).
Modified equations for colligative properties after Inclusion of van’t Hoff factor :
0
− ×
𝑝
𝑀
𝑤
1 1 2 1
= =
𝑖
𝑥
𝑖
2
2×
Relative lowering of vapour pressure of 0
𝑝
𝑝
𝑤
𝑀
1 1
solvent
× × 1000
𝑀
𝑤
2
Elevation of Boiling ∆ = =
𝑏
𝑏
𝑇
𝑖
𝐾
𝑚
𝑖
×
𝑏
point, 2 1
𝐾
𝑤
× × 1000
𝑀
𝑤
2
∆ = =
𝑓
𝑓
Depression of Freezing
𝑇
𝑖
𝐾
𝑚
𝑖
×
𝑓
point 2 1
𝐾
𝑤
2
𝑀
𝑉
Osmotic pressure of =
𝜋
𝑖
solution 2
𝑤
𝑅
𝑇
Degree of association (α) and van’t Hoff factor ):-
Consider one association reaction at equilibrium

Initial no. of moles 1 0 if α is the degree of association 2 C6H5COOH  (C6H5COOH)2
At equilibrium 1 n=2
total number of moles of particles at equilibrium = 1




Degree of Dissociation (α) and van’t Hoff factor ):-
Solution:-We have to find out degree of association (α) , for this first find out van’t Hoff factor )

Given:- = 4.9 K kg/mol and =122 g/mol put the values

it forms dimer i.e. n=2 
degree of association =0.992 X100=99.2 %
Example:- 0.6 mL of acetic acid , having density 1.06 g/mL, is dissolved in 1 litre of water. The depression
in freezing point observed for this strength of acid was 0.0205°C. Calculate the van’t Hoff factor and the
dissociation constant of acid. = 1.86 K kg /mol
Solution:- First find out number of moles of acetic acid, for this find out mass of acetic acid =volume x density
mass of acetic acid=0.6 X 1.06= 0.636 g and molar mass of acetic acid = 60 g/ mol

 ( As density of water = 1 g/
 
 As n=2, 
Dissociation constant