Identify the solute with the highest van't Hoff factor: Non-electrolyte, NaCl, MgCl2, FeCl3, MgSO4

fecl3

To identify the solute with the highest van't Hoff factor, we need to understand what the van't Hoff factor represents. The van't Hoff factor (i) is the ratio of the moles of particles in a solution after dissociation compared to the moles of the solute initially added.

For a non-electrolyte, the van't Hoff factor is 1 since it does not dissociate into ions in the solution. Therefore, the non-electrolyte does not have any particles beyond the initial solute.

Let's analyze the given options:

- Non-electrolyte: As mentioned above, the van't Hoff factor is 1.

- NaCl: NaCl is an electrolyte that dissociates into two ions (sodium cations, Na⁺, and chloride anions, Cl⁻) when dissolved in water. Therefore, the van't Hoff factor for NaCl is 2.

- MgCl2: MgCl2 is an electrolyte that dissociates into three ions (one magnesium cation, Mg²⁺, and two chloride anions, Cl⁻) when dissolved in water. Thus, the van't Hoff factor for MgCl2 is 3.

- FeCl3: FeCl3 is an electrolyte that dissociates into four ions (one iron cation, Fe³⁺, and three chloride anions, Cl⁻) when dissolved in water. So, the van't Hoff factor for FeCl3 is 4.

- MgSO4: MgSO4 is an electrolyte that dissociates into three ions (one magnesium cation, Mg²⁺, and one sulfate anion, SO₄²⁻) when dissolved in water. Therefore, the van't Hoff factor for MgSO4 is 3.

From the given options, FeCl3 has the highest van't Hoff factor, which is 4.

The one with the highest number of particles in solution. Which will that be?

Non-Electrolyte is the answer