Chemistry - Liquid Solution Question with Solution | TestHub
Which of the following colligative properties is useful to determine the molar masses of proteins, polymers or colloids, with the greatest precision?
Options:
Answer:
Solution:
Proteins, polymers and colloids have very high molar masses. Due to this, their solutions have very low molar concentrations.
The magnitude of colligative properties such as elevation in boiling point, depression in freezing point and relative lowering of vapour pressure is extremely small for such dilute solutions and cannot be measured with high precision.
Osmotic pressure provides a measurable value even for very dilute solutions. Furthermore, osmotic pressure measurements are carried out at room temperature, which prevents the denaturation or degradation of sensitive biomolecules like proteins.
Therefore, osmotic pressure is the most useful colligative property to determine the molar masses of macromolecules with the greatest precision.
Answer: Osmotic pressure
