According to the generally accepted definition of the ideal solution there are equal interaction forces acting between molecules belonging to the same or different species. (This is equivalent to the statement that the activity of the components equals the concentration.) Strictly speaking, this concept is valid in ecological systems (isotopic mixtures of an element, hydrocarbons mixtures, etc.). It is still usual to talk about ideal solutions as limiting cases in reality since very dilute solutions behave ideally with respect to the solvent. This law is further supported by the fact that Raoult’s law empirically found for describing the behaviour of the solvent in dilute solutions can be deduced thermodynamically via the assumption of ideal behaviour of the solvent.
Answer the following questions:
(a) Give one example of miscible liquid pair which shows negative deviation from Raoult’s law. What is the reason for such deviation?
(b) (i) State Raoult’s law for a solution containing volatile components.
OR
(ii) Raoult’s law is a special case of Henry’s law. Comment.
(c) Write two characteristics of an ideal solution.
The speed at which a chemical reaction takes place is called the rate of reaction. The rate of reaction depends on various factors like concentration of the reactants, temperature, etc. The relation between the rate of reaction and the concentration of reacting species is represented by the equation \( r = k[A]^x[B]^y \), where \( x \) and \( y \) are the order of the reaction with respect to the reactants A and B, respectively. The overall order of the reaction is \( x + y \). The rate of reaction can also be increased by the use of a catalyst which provides an alternate pathway of lower activation energy. It increases the rate of forward and backward reactions to an equal extent. It does not alter the Gibbs energy of the reaction.