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Grade 11Physical Chemistry

When we apply the Van’t Hoff factor and use the following equations-
i = (1-alpha) +n*alpha (for dissociation)
i = (1-alpha) + alpha/n (for association)
What does n stand for???? The value of n for sodium sulphate is 3....how??

Profile image of Satviki Pathak
11 Years agoGrade 11
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2 Answers

Profile image of Akshat Jain
ApprovedApproved Tutor Answer11 Years ago
n stands for the number of moles formed after dissociation / association of a compound.
As  Na2SO4 will dissociate:-
Na2SO4 -----> 2Na+ 1 SO4-2
As in above equation 2 mole of Na+ and 1 mole of SO4-2 are formed, so total number of moles after dissociation is 3.
Profile image of Shubham Singh
ApprovedApproved Tutor Answer11 Years ago
n stands for no. of molecules formed after dissociation
OR no. of molecules which associate to form one associted molecule.
For sodium sulphate n = 3 because it forms 2 molecules of Na+ and 1 molecule of SO42-