Question

(b) (ii) Which one of the following will have higher osmotic pressure in 1 M KCl or 1 M urea solution? Justify your answer.

Hint:

Osmotic pressure depends on the number of particles in solution. Ionic compounds like KCl dissociate into more particles, increasing osmotic pressure compared to non-ionic compounds like urea.

Answer 1

Osmotic pressure is directly proportional to the number of solute particles in solution. Since KCl dissociates into two ions (K\(^+\) and Cl\(^-\)) in solution, a 1 M KCl solution will have a higher osmotic pressure than a 1 M urea solution, which does not dissociate into ions. Therefore, the 1 M KCl solution will have a higher osmotic pressure.