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EXPERIMENT C1: FREEZING POINT DEPRESSION

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lab, the student will be able to:

1) Relate freezing point depression to molality of the solution.
2) Measure the freezing point depression constant for water.

Introduction

Properties of a solution that only depend on the amount of solute in the solution and
are independent of the chemical identity of the solute are referred to as Colligative
Properties. Examples of colligative properties include: 1) boiling point elevation 2)
freezing point depression 3) lowering of vapor pressure and 4) osmotic pressure.

In this experiment the freezing point depression of water due to the presence of a
solute will be studied.

When solutes such as salt or glucose are added to water, the freezing point of water
decreases. The extent to which the freezing point is lowered or depressed depends
on the amount of the solute that is added. The amount of solute in the solution is
measured in terms of molality. Molality (m) is defined as the moles of solute per
kilogram of the solvent. Molality is used instead of molarity in these instances, as the
volume of the solvent changes slightly with variations in temperature while mas
does not. This allows for consistency over a range of temperatures without
additional calculations to account for thermal expansion of solvents.

Therefore the depression in the freezing point, ΔTf is proportional to the molality, m,
of the solution.

ΔTf α m

ΔTf = Kf!m

In the above equation Kf, the proportionality constant, is referred to as the freezing
point depression constant. The freezing point depression constant for water is 1.86
°C/m. This value will be confirmed experimentally.

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Experimental Design

In this experiment, different amounts of a non-volatile and non-ionic solute,
glycerol, will be added to water. The freezing point of water will be measured for
each amount of glycerol added. A plot of the molality vs. the freezing point
depression will be used to determine the freezing point depression constant.

Reagents and Supplies

Glycerol, rock salt, thermometer

(See posted Material Safety Data Sheets)

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Procedure

1. Place an empty beaker on the electronic balance and tare the balance.

2. Place a large empty test tube inside the beaker in step 1 and record the mass.

3. Add about 12 grams of deionized water to the test tube in step 2 and record the
mass.

4. Add about 1 gram of glycerol into the test tube in step 3 and record the mass.
Use a dropper to add the glycerol. Glycerol is highly viscous and may not flow
easily in and out of the dropper. Care must be taken to avoid glycerol spills on
the balance pan. In case of spills, use paper towels to immediately clean the
glycerol and discard the paper towel in the trash container. Make sure that the
glycerol is completely dissolved before beginning the cooling process.

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 with the following amounts of glycerol.

Test Tube Water (grams) Glycerol (grams)
1 12 1.0
2 12 1.4
3 12 1.8
4 12 2.4
5 12 3.0
6 12 3.8
7 12 4.5
8 12 5.2

6. Determine the freezing point of water in each of the test tube using the following
method.

a. Clamp the test tube containing the water/glycerol solution.

b. Prepare a cold water bath by combining water, rock salt, and ice in the
following proportion in a 600-mL beaker: 25% water, 25% rock salt,
and 50% ice. The temperature of the bath should be at least −8°C.

c. Place the test tube inside containing the water/glycerol solution in the
cold water bath. Make sure that the solution inside the test tube is
completely submerged into the ice mixture.

d. Place a thermometer inside the test tube and lightly stir the contents,
taking care to avoid breaking the test tube.

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e. When the mixture becomes a thick slurry, remove the test tube from
the ice bath.

f. Remove the test tube from ice bath and begin stirring to melt the ice
crystals. Dip the test tube into a room temperature water bath
immediately in order to facilitate melting. Do not leave the test tube
inside the room temperature bath as this might lead to artificially high
melting points.

g. Stir the contents of the test tube gently, using the thermometer.
Record the temperature at which the last crystal has melted. This is
the melting point (NOTE: this is the same as the freezing point).

7. Once the freezing points of the water in all the test tubes have been measured,
discard the solutions as directed by the instructor.


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Data Table

NOTE: Normal freezing point of water = 0°C

ΔTf = Measured freezing pint – Normal freezing point

Test Mass of Empty Test Mass of Test Tube Mass of Test Tube ΔTf (°C)
Tube Tube + Water + Water + Glycerol
(grams) (grams) (grams)

1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


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Data Analysis

Mass of water = (Mass of test tube + water) – (Mass of empty test tube)

Mass of glycerol = (Mass of test tube + water + glycerol) – (Mass test tube + water)

Mass of solution = Mass of water + Mass of glycerol

Molar mass of glycerol = 92.1 g/mol

moles of glycerol
Molality =
Mass of solvent (kg)

Test Mass of Mass of Mass of Moles of Molality ΔTf
Tube water water glycerol glycerol (°C)
(grams) (kg) (grams)

1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


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Data Analysis

Plot a graph of molality (x-axis) vs. ΔTf (y-axis).
Obtain the equation of the best-fit line. Be sure to set the y-intercept to zero.
The slope of this line is the Kf.

The experimental value of the freezing point depression constant for water =

% error in the measurement =