What happens to the vapor pressure of a solvent when a non-volatile solute is ad
Practice Questions
Q1
What happens to the vapor pressure of a solvent when a non-volatile solute is added?
It increases
It decreases
It remains the same
It fluctuates
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What happens to the vapor pressure of a solvent when a non-volatile solute is added?
Correct Answer: The vapor pressure decreases.
Step 1: Understand what vapor pressure is. Vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by the vapor of a liquid when it is in equilibrium with its liquid phase.
Step 2: Know what a solvent is. A solvent is a substance that dissolves a solute, forming a solution. In this case, the solvent is a liquid.
Step 3: Identify what a non-volatile solute is. A non-volatile solute is a substance that does not easily evaporate and has little to no vapor pressure of its own.
Step 4: Recognize that when a non-volatile solute is added to a solvent, the solute particles mix with the solvent particles.
Step 5: Understand that the solute particles take up space at the surface of the liquid, which reduces the number of solvent particles that can escape into the vapor phase.
Step 6: Conclude that because fewer solvent particles can escape, the overall vapor pressure of the solvent decreases.
