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Rates of Reactions, Materials and Living Systems · Properties of materials

Melting point, boiling point and solubility

On a frosty January morning in Ireland, the council spreads grit and salt on the roads. Why does salt stop ice from forming, and why does a puddle of pure water freeze but a puddle on a salted road may not? To answer this we need three properties of materials: melting point, boiling point and solubility.

Melting point and boiling point

Every pure substance changes state at its own fixed temperatures. These are useful "fingerprints" for identifying a substance.

To find the state of a substance at a given temperature, compare that temperature with the two values:

  • below the melting point: solid

  • between the melting point and the boiling point: liquid

  • above the boiling point: gas

Number line of temperature showing solid below the melting point, liquid between the melting and boiling points, and gas above the boiling point Solid Liquid Gas Melting point Boiling point Temperature increases →

The temperature range over which a substance is liquid is boiling point minus melting point. For mercury (melting point $-39\ °\text{C}$, boiling point $357\ °\text{C}$) it is $357 - (-39) = 396\ °\text{C}$.

Practice★☆☆Not started
Define the terms melting point and boiling point. State the melting and boiling points of pure water at normal atmospheric pressure in °C.

Define the terms melting point and boiling point. State the melting and boiling points of pure water at normal atmospheric pressure in °C.

Solve
Practice★☆☆Not started
The table gives data for four substances. | Substance | Melting point (°C) | Boiling point (°C) | |---|---|---| | Oxygen | −219 | −183 | | Ethanol | −114 | 78 | | Water…

The table gives data for four substances.

Substance Melting point (°C) Boiling point (°C)
Oxygen −219 −183
Ethanol −114 78
Water 0 100
Sodium chloride 801 1,413

State the physical state (solid, liquid or gas) of each substance at $25\ °\text{C}$.

Solve
Practice★★☆Not started
Using the data below, answer the questions. | Substance | Melting point (°C) | Boiling point (°C) | |---|---|---| | Nitrogen | −210 | −196 | | Mercury | −39 | 357 | |…

Using the data below, answer the questions.

Substance Melting point (°C) Boiling point (°C)
Nitrogen −210 −196
Mercury −39 357
Sulfur 115 445
  1. a) Which substance is a liquid at $0\ °\text{C}$?
  1. b) Which substance is a gas at $−100\ °\text{C}$?
  1. c) State the physical state of sulfur at $200\ °\text{C}$.
  1. d) Calculate the temperature range over which mercury is a liquid.
Solve

Heating curves and purity

If you heat a solid at a steady rate and record the temperature, you get a heating curve.

Heating curve of a pure substance: temperature against time with two flat sections at the melting point and boiling point Melting: solid + liquid Boiling: liquid + gas Solid Liquid Gas Time Temperature

During a flat section the temperature stays constant even though heat is still being supplied. The energy is being used to overcome the forces between particles (to break the solid structure or to separate the liquid particles), not to make them move faster. The boiling section is longer because much more energy is needed to separate the particles completely.

Purity: a pure substance melts at one sharp temperature. An impure sample melts over a range of temperatures and at a lower temperature than the pure substance. Impurities also change the boiling point (a dissolved solute raises it), so both the melting point and the boiling point can be used to test purity. The melting point is easier to measure in school.

Practice★★☆Not started
A student measures the melting point of a sample of a solid and finds that it melts gradually between $78\ °\text{C}$ and $85\ °\text{C}$. The pure substance has a sharp…

A student measures the melting point of a sample of a solid and finds that it melts gradually between $78\ °\text{C}$ and $85\ °\text{C}$. The pure substance has a sharp melting point of $88\ °\text{C}$.

  1. a) Is the sample pure? Explain.
  1. b) State the effect of impurities on the melting point.
  1. c) Explain why grit and salt are spread on roads in Ireland in winter.
Solve
Practice★★★Not started
A heating curve for a pure substance is recorded by heating a solid at a steady rate. The temperature rises from $20\ °\text{C}$ to $80\ °\text{C}$, stays at…

A heating curve for a pure substance is recorded by heating a solid at a steady rate. The temperature rises from $20\ °\text{C}$ to $80\ °\text{C}$, stays at $80\ °\text{C}$ for $5$ minutes, rises to $218\ °\text{C}$, stays at $218\ °\text{C}$ for $12$ minutes and then rises again.

  1. a) Identify the melting point and the boiling point.
  1. b) Explain why the temperature stays constant during the flat sections even though heat is still supplied.
  1. c) Explain why the flat section at the boiling point is longer than that at the melting point.
  1. d) Name the state or states present during each flat section.
Solve

Solubility

When salt is stirred into water it seems to disappear.

Solubility is the maximum mass of solute that dissolves in a given amount of solvent at a given temperature, often written in g per $100\ \text{g}$ of water. A solution that cannot dissolve any more solute is saturated. A substance that does not dissolve is insoluble.

Practice★☆☆Not started
Define the terms solute, solvent and solution. Identify each in a mixture of salt dissolved in water.

Define the terms solute, solvent and solution. Identify each in a mixture of salt dissolved in water.

Solve

Solubility and temperature

For most solids, solubility increases as temperature rises. Here is potassium nitrate:

Temperature (°C) Solubility (g per 100 g water)
20 32
40 64
60 110
80 169

Gases behave the opposite way: the solubility of a gas in water decreases as the temperature rises. That is why bubbles form in a glass of cold tap water as it warms up, and why fish can struggle for oxygen in rivers during a hot summer, as the warm water holds less dissolved oxygen.

Practice★★☆Not started
The solubility of potassium nitrate in water at different temperatures is shown below. | Temperature (°C) | Solubility (g per $100\ \text{g}$ water) | |---|---| | 20 |…

The solubility of potassium nitrate in water at different temperatures is shown below.

Temperature (°C) Solubility (g per $100\ \text{g}$ water)
20 32
40 64
60 110
80 169
  1. a) State how the solubility changes as temperature increases.
  1. b) Estimate the mass of potassium nitrate that dissolves in $200\ \text{g}$ of water at $60\ °\text{C}$.
  1. c) A saturated solution containing $100\ \text{g}$ of water at $80\ °\text{C}$ is cooled to $20\ °\text{C}$. Calculate the mass of crystals that form.
Solve
Practice★★★Not started
The solubility of a gas such as oxygen in water decreases as temperature increases, whereas most solids become more soluble. a) Use this fact to explain why fish in…

The solubility of a gas such as oxygen in water decreases as temperature increases, whereas most solids become more soluble.

  1. a) Use this fact to explain why fish in rivers can be at risk during a very hot summer.
  1. b) Explain why bubbles form in a glass of tap water left to warm on a counter.
  1. c) A student claims that "all solids dissolve better in hot water". Use the data for potassium nitrate (solubility $32\ \text{g}/100\ \text{g}$ at $20\ °\text{C}$ and $169\ \text{g}/100\ \text{g}$ at $80\ °\text{C}$) to calculate how many times more soluble it is at $80\ °\text{C}$, and suggest why the student's claim is too general.
Solve

Ionic and molecular substances

Melting point and solubility help us tell two types of substance apart.

Property Ionic (e.g. sodium chloride) Molecular (e.g. wax, iodine)
Melting point High (strong forces between ions) Low (weak forces between molecules)
Soluble in water Often yes Often no (but some, such as sugar, dissolve well)
Conducts when dissolved or molten Yes (ions can move) No

Ionic solids have strong attractions between oppositely charged ions in a lattice, so a lot of energy is needed to separate them. Molecules attract each other only weakly, so little energy is needed.

To separate a mixture of a soluble ionic solid and an insoluble molecular solid, such as salt and wax: add water and stir, filter so the insoluble solid stays in the filter paper, then evaporate the water from the filtrate to get the dissolved solid back.

Practice★★★Not started
Two white solids, P and Q, look identical. P has a melting point of $801\ °\text{C}$, is soluble in water, and its solution conducts electricity. Q has a melting point…

Two white solids, P and Q, look identical. P has a melting point of $801\ °\text{C}$, is soluble in water, and its solution conducts electricity. Q has a melting point of $55\ °\text{C}$, is insoluble in water, and does not conduct electricity in any state.

  1. a) Suggest the type of substance (ionic or molecular) for each, justifying your answer.
  1. b) Describe how you would separate a mixture of P and Q, naming the processes.
  1. c) Explain why P has a much higher melting point than Q in terms of the forces between particles.
Solve

Back to the start: salt dissolves in the water on the road, making an impure solution with a lower freezing point than $0\ °\text{C}$, so ice is less likely to form.

Summary

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