Chemistry - Liquid Solution Question with Solution | TestHub

The main application of osmotic pressure measurement is in the determination of the molar mass of a substance which is either slightly soluble or has a very high molar mass, such as proteins, various types of polymers, and colloids. This is due to the fact that even a very small concentration of the solution produces a fairly large magnitude of osmotic pressure. In the laboratory, the concentrations usually employed are of the order of 10⁻³ to 10⁻⁴ M. At a concentration of 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³, the magnitude of osmotic pressure at 300 K is:

$P=10^{-3}\times 0.082\times 300=0.0246atm$

or $0.0246\times 1.01325\times 105=2492.595Pa$

At this concentration, the values of other colligative properties, such as boiling point elevation and depression in freezing point, are too small to be determined experimentally.