a chemist is asked to identify 2 solutions whose labels have peeled off. One is known to contain 1.0 mol of NaCl, the other is 1 mol of Na2CO3. Both solutes are dissolved in 1 kg of water. If the chemist measures the freezing point of each solution, can it identify which is which??

The freezing point depression is .52C *times a constant, and the constant is dependent on the ions per moleule. NaCl breaks into two ions, and sodium carbonate breaks into three. So the freezing point will be different by .52C.

To identify the two solutions, the chemist can use the concept of freezing point depression. The freezing point depression is a colligative property, meaning it depends on the number of solute particles in a solution rather than the identity of the solute.

In this case, the chemist has two solutions, one containing NaCl and the other containing Na2CO3, both dissolved in 1 kg of water. We know that NaCl dissociates into two ions (Na+ and Cl-) when dissolved in water, while Na2CO3 dissociates into three ions (2 Na+ ions and 1 CO3^-2 ion).

Now, since the freezing point depression is directly proportional to the number of solute particles in a solution, we can expect a greater freezing point depression for the solution containing Na2CO3 than the one containing NaCl.

The chemist can measure the freezing point of each solution and compare the results. If one solution has a greater freezing point depression than the other, it is the solution containing Na2CO3 because it produces a higher number of ions (three) compared to NaCl (two).

Typically, the freezing point depression can be calculated using the formula: ΔT = Kf * m * i, where ΔT is the change in temperature (freezing point depression), Kf is the cryoscopic constant (dependent on the solvent), m is the molality of the solution, and i is the van't Hoff factor (the number of ions produced per molecule of the solute). In this case, the chemist already knows that the ΔT is 0.52°C.

So, by measuring the freezing point depression of each solution, the chemist can differentiate between the NaCl and Na2CO3 solutions and identify which is which.