Solute Molecules

Ask questions about projects relating to: aerodynamics or hydrodynamics, astronomy, chemistry, electricity, electronics, physics, or engineering

Moderators: kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators

Locked
pinkspacehippo
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:05 pm
Occupation: Student
Project Question: Can a pescetarian get enough calcium through non-dairy sources?
Project Due Date: January 22/23 2009
Project Status: I am conducting my research

Solute Molecules

Post by pinkspacehippo »

My experiment is based on Chemistry of Ice-Cream Making: Lowering the Freezing Point of Water.

Question: Will the solute be greater when sucrose is dissolved in water or when sodium chloride is dissolved in water?
Hypothesis: The solute molecules will be greater when sucrose is dissolved in water than when sodium cholide is dissolved in water.

I am doing the first solution of NaCl and it was been going for over 10 minutes. I have disturbed the test tube, but thats only to keep the ice to a temperature of -10 degrees. Should I wait longer or start over?
pinkspacehippo
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:05 pm
Occupation: Student
Project Question: Can a pescetarian get enough calcium through non-dairy sources?
Project Due Date: January 22/23 2009
Project Status: I am conducting my research

Re: Solute Molecules

Post by pinkspacehippo »

I am using 20mL of the solution in a 500mL beaker filled with ice and salt.
agm
Former Expert
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 10:34 am
Occupation: graduate student
Project Question: n/a
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Solute Molecules

Post by agm »

Hi pinkspacehippo,

For others' reference, the project mentioned is here:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... p023.shtml

It sounds like the problem you're having is that your solution of NaCl is not freezing. Is that correct?

The project design implies that the concentrations it specifies should freeze at or above -10 degrees C. Did you use the ratios of water to salt recommended -- that is, 100 m of water plus either 5.8, 4.35, or 2.9 g of NaCl -- or did you add one of those amounts to 20 mL of water? If so, you may have depressed the freezing point below the temperature of your ice bath. It is also possible that your ice bath is warmed than -10 deg C. Have you measured its temperature by rinsing off the thermometer and placing it directly in the ice bath?

About your question and hypothesis: I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. What do you mean by a "solute" being "greater"? A larger amount of solute? If so, by mass or by number of molecules? Either way, that's something that depends on the solutions that you mix up, and not really something that you're going to measure in the experiment. The experiment will show you the effect of adding given amounts of sucrose and NaCl to a constant amount of water. One of the finer points it makes it that freezing-point depression depends on the number of molecules in solution; even though a sucrose molecule is much heavier, it stays whole when placed into water, while NaCl breaks into Na+ and Cl-.

If you read the "Variations" section, that might give you an idea for a hypothesis to compare the effects of sucrose and NaCl. A place to start for more info about that equation is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezing_point_depression

Amanda
agm
Former Expert
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 10:34 am
Occupation: graduate student
Project Question: n/a
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Solute Molecules

Post by agm »

*warmeR than 10 deg C, sorry.
Locked

Return to “Grades 9-12: Physical Science”