| Van 't Hoff Factor |
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In Physical Chemistry , the van 't Hoff factor is the number of moles of Solute actually in Solution per mole of solid solute added. Equivalently, refers to the ratio of true molecular mass to calculated molecular methods by Colligative methods. It is named after Jacobus Henricus Van 't Hoff , the first winner of the Nobel Prize In Chemistry . The van 't Hoff factor is important in quantitative analysis of Colligative Properties , such as Vapor Pressure and Freezing Point Depression . PHYSICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF <MATH>I</MATH> In NaCl for example, indicates that by using the colligative properties equations without the factor, we're actually calculating the molecular mass of each of the Na+ and Cl- ions in solution. The molecular mass of NaCl should be twice that number because it originally dissociated to produce one Na+ ion and one Cl- ion per molecule of NaCl; the sum of the masses of the two ions should yield the mass of the NaCl molecule. Note that even if the mass of Na+ and Cl- weren't equal (which is the case), we're only calculating the average mass of the two particles using our colligative properties analysis. Hence multiplying that average number by two, we would be calculating the molecular mass of NaCl.
RELATION TO DEGREE OF DISSOCIATION
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