Justification for Freezing Point Depression & Boiling Point Elevation in Solutions?
I was wondering if the following justification for freezing point depression and boiling point elevation are conceptually correct. The reason why I ask this question is because I have been self studying chemistry for a course I will be taking this fall, and I don't have a human reference to check with. My book is also very confusing on this subject, and I don't have a world renowned memory (meaning I'd rather understand than memorize the equation), so I tried to think about it and came with the following conclusions:
-Freezing Point Depression: When a solvent is not pure and has particles dissolved in it, there are constituents (be it molecules, ions, etc.) that take up volume in the solution. For freezing to occur, these constituents need to aggregate to form a lattice, bonds, etc. Say we have a pure solvent X. This process occurs at a temperature Y. 793
However, when this solvent is not pure and has dissolved solutes, there is "blockage" impeding these constituents from aggregating and bonding. Therefore, the temperature Y needs to be reduced further to slow down the kinetic energy of all constituents in solution (solvent and solute), which gives a greater statistical probability of intermolecular forces getting an opportunity to bind solvent-solvent constituents.
-Boiling Point Elevation: Boiling, if I'm not mistaken, occurs when the partial pressure of a vapor exceeds atmospheric pressure. For a gas to enter the vapor phase, molecules in solution need to have a certain kinetic energy (as specified by a <PERSON> distribution) to free themselves of the intermolecular forces in the solution phase and become a vapor. When a pure solvent is now diluted with other particles, the new solute-solvent bonding energy needs to be overcome to allow a solvent molecule to exist as a vapor. One way to overcome this energy is to increase the average kinetic energy of all molecules, and this is done through a temperature increase.
This is for an introductory chemistry course, and I'm not sure if my explanations are sound. I just want a yay or a nay in terms of my logic, because I don't have the most intimate background in chemistry and I'm trying to conceptually understand things. 273