How Does Solvent on Test Tube Walls Affect Freezing Point Depression Results?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the impact of solvent adhering to test tube walls on freezing point depression experiments. It is established that the presence of solvent on the walls leads to an overestimation of the calculated molality, resulting in larger calculated molar mass values compared to actual values. The relationship between molality and molar mass is critical, with the formula M'(calc) = M(real) - dM indicating that the real molality is greater than the calculated molality due to the solvent loss. Understanding this relationship is essential for accurate experimental results.

PREREQUISITES
  • Freezing Point Depression concepts
  • Understanding of molality and its calculation
  • Knowledge of molar mass determination techniques
  • Familiarity with laboratory practices involving solute and solvent measurements
NEXT STEPS
  • Review the principles of Freezing Point Depression and its equations
  • Study the calculation methods for molality and molar mass
  • Explore experimental techniques to minimize solvent loss in laboratory settings
  • Investigate the effects of impurities and measurement errors on freezing point depression results
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, laboratory technicians, and researchers conducting freezing point depression experiments will benefit from this discussion, particularly those focused on accurate molar mass calculations and experimental methodologies.

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So we did an experiment of freezing point depression and my calculated molar mass values were larger than actual...
First, the freezing point of the pure solvent had to be determined and so if some of the solvent was on the walls of the test tube opposed to in the solution how would this affect results?
As far as I've gotten is that it would result in a greater actual molality than observed, but how would this then effect temperature change and molar mass?

hope this is enough, please help
 
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To help you, we must first guess what your experiment involved (measure FP of pure solvent; add known mass of solute; measure FP of solution; use known FP depression constant to calculate molality; and from masses of solute and solvent calculate molar mass?). It would have helped if you had included these details in the opening post.

If the above guess is correct (please confirm whether they are), then, as you said, the real molality will be greater than the calculated molality, due to solvent on the walls. So, the calculation underestimates the molality.

M'(calc) =M(real) - dM (where dM >0)

How do you relate the molality to the molar mass? Write down the equation for that relationship. I imagine you used some fixed mass s of the solvent and dissolved some small mass m of the solute in it. If that's true, can you write down the equation relating M (the molality) to MM (the molar mass) using m and s?
 

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