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Chemistry

Why Vapor Pressure Lowering Leads to Boiling Point Elevation

Quick fact

A 1 molal aqueous solution of a nonvolatile solute (like sugar) elevates the boiling point by approximately 0.512 °C, regardless of the solute's identity—only the number of dissolved particles matters.

Why this is interesting

You've probably added salt to water to make it boil faster for pasta. But did you know that salt actually makes water boil slower—that is, at a higher temperature? Why would adding a solute make it harder for a liquid to boil?