HamnaadSaltmarks
O UNDERSTANDWHYTONS OF SALT ARE SPREAD ON ICY SURFACES THIS WINTER,
T you need to understand the chemistry of colligative properties. Colligative properties apply to
solutions and depend on the amount of a solute that is dissolved in a solvent.
One of the most commonly discussed colligative properties is the effect of solute concentration on a
solution's freezing point. (Other colligative properties include boiling poiint elevation and vapor pressure
depression.)
When a solute of any type is added to a solvent, the freezing point of the solution is lower than the freez-
ing point of the pure solvent. Let's look at water as an example. Water normally freezes at 0 °C (32 °F). But
dissolve 3 tablespoons of NaCl in 1 liter of water (that's a 1-molal solution), and the solution won't freeze
until it's at a temperature of almost -4 °C (24.8 °F)!
So if it's O °C outside, precipitation won't turn icy on a road
with a 1-molal NaCl solution. Temperatures would have to drop
to approximately -4 °C before precipitation would freeze.
The simplest way to think about freezing point depres-
sion is to consider what happens when a liquid freezes.
When this phase change occurs, the particles of the liquid
come together to form an ordered network. If something
blocks the particles, they'll have a hard time creating that
network. If sodium ions and chloride ions from salt are pres-
ent in water, for example, they get in the way of the water mol-
ecules coming together, making it harder for ice to form. The
B solution can only freeze when the temperature is lowered more
than usual.
The type of solute you choose determines how low a solu-
tion's freezing point will go. For instance, let's compare 1-molal
solutions of sugar (C12H22O11), table salt (NaCl), and calcium
chloride (CaCl2).These substances are all soluble in water and
can lower water's freezing point. But sugar lowers it the least,
O NII" Oo and CaCl2 has the greatest effect of the three.
What's going on? The answer lies in the substances' chemi-
cal makeup. Sugar is a molecular substance. When it dissolves,
(A) Withno solutepresent,waterfreezes its molecules spread out, but they don't break down any further.
at O•c.(B)If NaClIs addedto thewater,ii One mole of solid sugar becomes one mole of dissolved sugar.
dissolvesInto Ions,whichmakeii dlfllcull Unlike sugar, NaCl and CaCl2 are ionic substances. When
for watermoleculesto join Icecrystals.
(Someice crystalswill bepresent.) they dissolve, they dissociate-or separate-into ions. So, one
mole of NaCl will produce two moles of dissolved ions (one
mole of sodium ions and one mole of chloride ions). One mole
of CaCl2 will produce three moles of dissolved ions (one mole of
calcium ions and two moles of chloride ions).
Remember, when it comes to colligative properties, the more
moles of solute dissolved, the greater the effect.
14 (hemMatters
I DECEMBER
2018/JANUARY
2019 [Link]/chemmatters
