The vapor pressure of water at 25 oC is 23.8 torr. Calculate the vapor pressure of a solution prepared by dissolving 35.0 g of urea [(NH2)2CO] in 75.0 g of water at 25 oC.

1 answer

To calculate the vapor pressure of the solution, we can use the formula:

P_solution = P_water * X_water

Where P_solution is the vapor pressure of the solution, P_water is the vapor pressure of pure water, and X_water is the mole fraction of water in the solution.

First, let's calculate the number of moles of each component in the solution, which involves finding the molar mass of urea.

Urea (NH2)2CO has the following molecular composition: 1 Carbon, 4 Hydrogen, 2 Nitrogen, and 1 Oxygen.
C: 12.01 g/mol
H: 1.01 g/mol
N: 14.01 g/mol
O: 16.00 g/mol

Molar mass of urea = (1 × 12.01) + (4 × 1.01) + (2 × 14.01) + (16.00)
= 12.01 + 4.04 + 28.02 + 16.00
= 60.07 g/mol

Now, we can calculate the number of moles of urea and water in the solution.

Moles of urea = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol) = 35.0 g / 60.07 g/mol = 0.582 moles
Moles of water = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol) = 75.0 g / 18.02 g/mol = 4.16 moles

Next, we can find the mole fraction of water in the solution.

X_water = moles of water / (moles of water + moles of urea) = 4.16 / (4.16 + 0.582) = 4.16 / 4.742 = 0.877

Now, we can use the formula to find the vapor pressure of the solution.

P_solution = P_water * X_water
= 23.8 torr * 0.877
= 20.87 torr

Thus, the vapor pressure of the solution is approximately 20.87 torr at 25°C.