Colligative properties of a dilute solution depend on:
AThe pressure only
BThe temperature only
CThe number of solute particles, not their nature
DThe chemical nature of the solute
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The number of solute particles, not their nature
By definition, colligative properties (relative lowering of vapour pressure, boiling-point elevation, freezing-point depression, osmotic pressure) depend on how many solute particles are dissolved, not what those particles are. One mole of glucose and one mole of urea cause the same boiling-point elevation in 1 kg of water.
With electrolytes like NaCl that dissociate into 2 ions, the effective particle count is multiplied by the van't Hoff factor $i$ (close to 2 for NaCl in dilute solution).
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