The freezing point lowering of a saturated aqueous solution of NaCl is 17 Celsius. Would spreading salt on the icy sidewalks be beneficial when the temperature outside is -8 Fahrenheit? Explain.
3 answers
What's your main problem with this? Is it not obvious that if NaCl will lower the f.p. by 17 C and the T is -8 then ....... What is the f.p. of pure H2O?
I'm not sure as to whether or not spreading salt on sidewalks would be beneficial, considering the outside temperature. The freezing point of pure H2O is 0 °C or 32 °F. But Im not sure what that would infer?
The freezing point is zero C normally. Spreading (or spraying) saturated NaCl solution CAN lower it by 17 degrees C according to the problem. The temperature is only -8 C, therefore, the ice would melt. In fact it would melt with an outside temperature of -16 C but it would not melt the ice if the outside temperature were -17 or lower. Anything higher than -17, yes.
4 answers