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Q.The boiling point of an azeotropic mixture of water and ethanol is less than that of pure water and ethanol. The mixture shows : (A) positive deviation from Raoult's Law. (B) negative deviation from Raoult's Law. (C) no deviation from Raoult's Law. (D) that the solution is an ideal solution.

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A mixture with a boiling point lower than its pure components is a minimum boiling azeotrope, which occurs when the solution exhibits positive deviation from Raoult's Law due to higher vapor pressure.

When we talk about solutions, especially liquid-liquid mixtures, their behavior is often described relative to Raoult's Law. This law provides a baseline for ideal solutions, and deviations from it tell us about the intermolecular interactions within the mixture.

Understanding Raoult's Law and Deviations

  1. Raoult's Law: For an ideal solution, the partial vapor pressure of each volatile component in the solution is directly proportional to its mole fraction in the solution and the vapor pressure of the pure component.

    PA=xAPA∘P_A = x_A P_A^\circ

    PB=xBPB∘P_B = x_B P_B^\circ

    Where PAP_A and PBP_B are the partial vapor pressures of components A and B in the solution, xAx_A and xBx_B are their respective mole fractions, and PA∘P_A^\circ and PB∘P_B^\circ are the vapor pressures of the pure components.

  2. Ideal Solutions: These solutions perfectly obey Raoult's Law over the entire range of concentrations. In an ideal solution, the intermolecular forces between A-A, B-B, and A-B molecules are all very similar.

  3. Non-Ideal Solutions: Most real solutions do not behave ideally and show deviations from Raoult's Law. These deviations arise from differences in intermolecular forces.

    • Positive Deviation: This occurs when the intermolecular forces between A-B molecules are weaker than the average of A-A and B-B forces. This makes it easier for molecules to escape into the vapor phase, leading to a higher vapor pressure than predicted by Raoult's Law.

      PA>xAPA∘P_A > x_A P_A^\circ and PB>xBPB∘P_B > x_B P_B^\circ.

      Examples: Ethanol-water, acetone-carbon disulfide.

    • Negative Deviation: This occurs when the intermolecular forces between A-B molecules are stronger than the average of A-A and B-B forces. This makes it harder for molecules to escape into the vapor phase, leading to a lower vapor pressure than predicted by Raoult's Law.

      PA<xAPA∘P_A < x_A P_A^\circ and PB<xBPB∘P_B < x_B P_B^\circ.

      Examples: Acetone-chloroform, nitric acid-water.

Connecting Vapor Pressure to Boiling Point

The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the external atmospheric pressure.

  • If a solution has a higher vapor pressure at a given temperature, it will reach the atmospheric pressure at a lower temperature. Thus, a higher vapor pressure corresponds to a lower boiling point.
  • Conversely, if a solution has a lower vapor pressure, it will require a higher temperature to reach atmospheric pressure. Thus, a lower vapor pressure corresponds to a higher boiling point.

Azeotropes

Azeotropes are constant boiling mixtures that distill without change in composition. They are a specific type of non-ideal solution.

  • Minimum Boiling Azeotropes: These are formed by solutions showing positive deviation from Raoult's Law. At a specific composition, the solution has a vapor pressure higher than either pure component, leading to a boiling point lower than either pure component. The ethanol-water mixture is a classic example. Pure ethanol boils at 78.4∘C78.4^\circ\text{C}, pure water boils at 100∘C100^\circ\text{C}, but their azeotrope (approximately 95.6%95.6\% ethanol by mass) boils at 78.2∘C78.2^\circ\text{C}. …

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