Q.Colligative properties depend on ____________.
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A colligative property is a physical property of a solution that depends ONLY on the NUMBER of solute particles present, not on their chemical identity -- two chemically unrelated solutes, dissolved to give the same particle count, show essentially the same colligative behaviour. Four colligative properties are studied for nonelectrolyte solutions (dilute, 0.2 M or less): (1) vapour pressure lowering, (2) boiling point elevation, (3) freezing point depression, and (4) osmotic pressure -- all four trace back to the same root physical cause, that dissolving a solute reduces the fraction of solvent molecules available at the liquid's surface/structure in direct proportion to how many solute particles are present. For electrolyte solutions, which dissociate into ions, each of the four properties turns out LARGER than a nonelectrolyte solution of the same nominal concentration, because dissociation genuinely multiplies the particle count …
Colligative properties are a set of properties of solutions that depend solely on the concentration of solute particles, not on their chemical identity or physical nature.
- The definition of colligative properties states they are determined by the ratio of the number of solute particles to the number of solvent particles.
- This implies that the specific chemical structure, size, or type (e.g., ionic vs. molecular) of the solute particles does not directly influence these properties.
- Instead, it is the quantity or count of these particles in a given amount of solvent that dictates the magnitude of the colligative effect. …
Colligative properties are characteristics of solutions that depend solely on the concentration (number of particles) of the solute, not on its chemical identity. The correct option is (ii).
Colligative properties (boiling-point elevation, freezing-point depression, osmotic pressure, relative lowering of vapour pressure) are all directly proportional to the concentration, or number, of solute particles in solution - not their chemical nature.
For electrolytes like NaCl, one mole of solute dissociates into multiple ions (e.g. Na+ and Cl-), so 1 mole of NaCl produces 2 moles of particles, giving roughly twice the colligative effect of 1 mole of a non-electrolyte like glucose.
Evaluating the options:
- (i) the nature of the solute particles - incorrect; chemical identity does not directly determine the colligative effect.
- (ii) the number of solute particles in solution - correct; all colligative properties are directly proportional to particle count. …
Concept: Colligative Properties
Colligative properties are properties of solutions that depend only on the number (or concentration) of solute particles, not on the identity, nature, or chemical properties of those particles.
Method: Definition-Based Elimination
Step 1 — Recall the definition
Colligative means “depending on the collection” — specifically, the collection of solute particles counted together. Examples: boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, osmotic pressure, vapour pressure lowering.
Step 2 — Eliminate options that mention “nature” or “physical properties”
- (i) “nature of solute particles” → ✗ (colligative properties are independent of nature)
- (iii) “physical properties of solute particles” → ✗ (same reason) …
Here’s a breakdown of the common mistakes students make on this question, along with how to avoid each.
The Core Concept
Colligative properties (like boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, and osmotic pressure) depend only on the number of solute particles in a given amount of solvent, not on the nature (identity, size, or chemical properties) of those particles.
Common Mistake #1: Choosing (i) or (iii) — “Nature” or “Physical Properties” of the Solute
Why students do this:
Students often think that because different solutes (e.g., salt vs. sugar) produce different effects, the type of solute matters. They confuse “nature” with “number of particles.”
How to avoid it:
- Remember the key phrase: “Colligative” comes from the Latin colligatus meaning “bound together” — it refers to properties that are collective (based on count), not individual identity.
- Use a simple example:
- 1 mole of glucose (C6H12O6) in 1 kg water → 1 mole of particles.
- 1 mole of NaCl in 1 kg water → 2 moles of particles (Na⁺ and Cl⁻).
- The effect is double for NaCl, even though the nature of the particles is different. This proves it’s about number, not nature.
Correct choice: (ii) — the number of solute particles in solution.
Common Mistake #2: Choosing (iv) — “Nature of Solvent Particles”
Why students do this:
Some students think the solvent’s identity matters because, for example, boiling point elevation is different in water vs. ethanol. They confuse the solvent’s nature (which does affect the magnitude of the colligative property via constants like Kb or Kf) with the dependence of colligative properties.
How to avoid it:
- Understand the definition: Colligative properties depend on the number of solute particles relative to solvent particles. The solvent’s identity affects the constant (e.g., Kb for water is 0.512∘C kg/mol), but the dependence is still on solute particle count.
- The question asks: “Colligative properties depend on ____________.” The answer must be the primary factor — which is the number of solute particles, not the solvent’s nature. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is not a colligative property of a solution?(a) Elevation of boiling point(b) Lowering of vapour pressure(c) Osmotic pressure(d) Freezing point
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties depend only on the NUMBER of solute particles, not their identity. "Freezing point" as stated is not itself such a property.
A colligative property is one whose magnitude depends only on the number (mole fraction/molality) of solute particles present in a solution, and not on their chemical nature. The four classical colligative properties are: relative lowering of vapour pressure, elevation of boiling point, depression of freezing point, and osmotic pressure.
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- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is a colligative property?(a) Osmotic pressure(b) Vapour pressure(c) Boiling point(d) All of the above
›Reveal solutionSolution
Osmotic pressure is a colligative property because it depends only on the number of solute particles dissolved, not their chemical identity.
Colligative properties are physical properties of a solution that depend only on the number of solute particles present, not on their nature. The four classical colligative properties are: (1) relative lowering of vapour pressure, (2) elevation in boiling point, (3) depression in freezing point, and (4) osmotic pressure.
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is not a colligative property?(a) ΔT_b(b) π(c) ΔT_f(d) K_b
›Reveal solutionSolution
ΔTb, ΔTf and π are colligative properties (they depend on the number of solute particles); Kb is a solvent-specific constant that relates them, not a property itself.
Colligative properties depend only on the number of solute particles present in a solution, not their chemical identity. The four classical colligative properties are: relative lowering of vapour pressure, elevation in boiling point (ΔTb), depression in freezing point (ΔTf), and osmotic pressure (π).
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- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The colligative properties of a dilute solution depend upon the(a) nature of solute(b) number of particles of solute(c) number of particles of solvent(d) nature of solvent
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties are defined precisely as properties that depend on the number of solute particles in solution, not on what those particles are — so option (b) is correct by definition.
The defining feature of colligative properties
Colligative properties — relative lowering of vapour pressure, elevation in boiling point (ΔTb), depression in freezing point (ΔTf), and osmotic pressure (π) — arise purely from the dilution effect a solute has on the solvent: adding solute particles lowers the effective mole fraction/chemical potential of solvent molecules at the surface, which shifts vapour–liquid and solid–liquid equilibria. This shift depends only on how many solute particles are present per unit amount of solvent, e.g. π=CRT or ΔTb=Kbm, where C (or molality m) counts particles, with no term for the solute's identity, mass, or specific charge (beyond the van't Hoff factor i, which itself just corrects the particle count for dissociation/association).
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- CBSE 2021Set TERM11 markQ.Colligative properties depends upon _______.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties depend on the ratio of the number of solute particles to the number of solvent molecules in the solution.
Colligative properties (relative lowering of vapour pressure, elevation of boiling point, depression of freezing point, osmotic pressure) depend only on the number of solute particles present in a given amount of solvent (i.e. on molar concentration/mole fraction of solute), and are independent …
- CBSE 2021Set NC1 markQ.What are colligative properties?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties are a set of solution properties that depend solely on the number of dissolved solute particles relative to the total number of solvent molecules, regardless of what the solute chemically is.
When a non-volatile solute is dissolved in a solvent, several physical properties of the resulting solution change in a way that depends only on the ratio of the number of solute particles to solvent molecules — not on the size, mass, or chemical identity of the solute particles. Such properties are called colligative properties (from Latin colligatus, meaning 'bound together').
The four classical colligative properties are:
- Relative lowering of vapour pressure, p0p0−ps=x2
- Elevation of boiling point, ΔTb=Kbm
- Depression of freezing point, ΔTf=Kfm …
- CBSE 2020Set OC1 markMCQQ.Colligative properties depend on(a) the nature of the solute particles dissolved in the solution(b) the number of solute particles in the solution(c) the physical properties of the solute particles dissolved in the solution(d) the nature of the solvent particles
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties (relative lowering of vapour pressure, elevation of boiling point, depression of freezing point, osmotic pressure) depend solely on how many solute particles are present per unit of solvent, never on what the particles chemically are.
Colligative properties arise because dissolved solute particles physically get in the way of solvent molecules (lowering the escaping tendency of the solvent), so their magnitude depends only on the ratio of solute particles to solvent particles/moles present, not on the size, mass, or chemical nature of those particles. This is why equimolal solutions of glucose and urea — two chemically very different non-electrolytes — show identical elevation of boiling point and identical osmotic pressure: both contribute exactly one particle per formula unit.
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- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is a colligative property?(a) Elevation in freezing point(b) Elevation in boiling point(c) Depression in boiling point(d) All of the above
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties depend only on the number of solute particles, not their identity. Of the four options, only "elevation in boiling point" correctly names one.
Colligative properties are properties of a solution that depend on the number of solute particles present, not on their chemical nature. The four true colligative properties are:
- Relative lowering of vapour pressure
- Elevation in boiling point (ΔTb) — a non-volatile solute raises the boiling point of the solvent
- Depression in freezing point (ΔTf) — a non-volatile solute lowers the freezing point of the solvent
- Osmotic pressure …
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Colligative properties are those properties which depend on(a) shapes of the particles(b) nature of the particles only(c) nature of the solvent only(d) number of particles only
›Reveal solutionSolution
Colligative properties (relative lowering of vapour pressure, boiling-point elevation, freezing-point depression, osmotic pressure) depend purely on the count of solute particles per unit amount of solvent, never on what the particles chemically are.
By definition, a colligative property changes in direct proportion to the number of solute particles (molecules or ions) present in a given amount of solvent, regardless of their size, shape, mass, or chemical nature. This is why, for example, a mole of glucose and a mole of urea (unequal molar masses, totally different chemistry) produce the same boiling-poi …
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