Detailed Summary of Molality
Molality is one of the important concentration units in chemistry, specifically defined as the number of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent. Unlike molarity, which relates the volume of the solution to the moles of solute, molality considers the mass of the solvent alone. This distinction makes molality particularly useful for experiments involving temperature changes because it is independent of temperature—whereas the volume of solutions can change with temperature, the mass of the solvent remains constant.
The formula for calculating molality (m) is given by:
$$ m = \frac{\text{moles of solute}}{\text{mass of solvent (kg)}} $$
For example, if 1 mol of potassium chloride (KCl) is dissolved in 1 kg of water, the molality of the KCl solution is 1 m. Moreover, in various chemical applications, especially those involving colligative properties (e.g., boiling point elevation or freezing point depression), molality is frequently utilized. This section outlines several examples and calculations of molality, reinforcing its practical utility in solutions.