What Is The Freezing Point of Lauric Acid? (Answered)

The freezing point of lauric acid is 44 degrees Celsius, equivalent to 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Lauric acid, also known as dodecanoic acid, is a white, crystalline fatty acid with the chemical formula C12H24O2. It is best known as a significant component of coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and milk fat.

What is the freezing point depression constant of lauric acid?

The freezing point depression constant of lauric acid is 3.9 °C•kg/mol.

Lauric acid’s freezing point depression constant represents how many degrees the freezing point of lauric acid changes when one mole of a solute, such as benzoic acid, is added to one kilogram of lauric acid.

Lauric acid and benzoic acid freezing point depression

When a solvent is dissolved in a solution, the solvent’s freezing point may be lowered. This phenomenon is known as freezing point depression, and it occurs when a solute is added to a solvent.

How do you determine the freezing point depression constant of lauric acid?

To determine the freezing point depression constant of lauric acid, a substance with a relatively high freezing point is needed. Benzoic acid has a relatively high freezing point of 122.3 °C and is commonly used in experiments to determine the freezing point depression constant of lauric acid.

Pure lauric acid (not a mixture of lauric acid and water) is used to determine lauric acid’s freezing point depression constant. The samples must be heated until they are fully liquefied, then placed in a beaker and allowed to solidify at room temperature. Logger Pro or another similar logging software program can be used to graph data with the Lab Pro interface.

After obtaining the data from the logging software, the freezing point of lauric acid is determined by plotting a line of best fit on the Logger Pro data and then calculating the y-intercept, or the point on the x-axis where it intersects with zero. Next, the formula ΔT=K f m is used to find the freezing point depression constant after figuring out the change in temperature and the molality of the samples. You can find the average Kf for lauric acid using a process that involves averaging two impure samples.

How to calculate freezing point depression

To calculate freezing point depression, you will need to know the freezing point depression constant of the solvent and the molality of the solute. To illustrate how to calculate the freezing point depression, consider the following experiment:

Question:

What is the freezing point depression of lauric acid when the benzoic acid is added?

Given:

0.92 moles of the solute benzoic acid are added to 1 kg of the solvent lauric acid.

The freezing point depression constant (Kf) of the solvent lauric acid is 3.9°C•kg/mol.

Answer:

The freezing point depression of lauric acid in this experiment is 3.588 °C.

To calculate the change in the freezing point depression of lauric acid, use the following equation:

ΔT = Kf x m (where ΔT is the change in the freezing point of the solvent, Kf is the freezing point depression constant, and m is the molality of the solute)

The equation shows that as the molality of solute increases, so does the freezing point depression of the solvent (in this case, the lauric acid).

In our experiment, we have Kf but need m (molality) of the benzoic acid. To find the molality of the benzoic acid, use this equation:

Molality = moles of solute/moles of solvent = 0.92 moles benzoic acid/1 kg lauric acid = 0.92

Then use the molality and freezing point depression constant to solve for the freezing point depression, as shown below.

ΔT = 3.9°C•kg/mol x 0.92 = 3.588°C•kg/mol = 3.588°C

Formula for freezing point depression

The formula for freezing point depression is:

ΔT = Kf x m

ΔT is the temperature change in the solvent’s freezing point, Kf is the freezing point depression constant of the solvent, and m is the molality of the solute.

What is the melting point of lauric acid?

The melting point of lauric acid is 44 degrees Celsius, equivalent to 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The melting point means that the fatty acid will change from a solid to a liquid at 44 degrees Celsius. Lauric acid is found in coconut oil and palm kernel oil, so it’s no surprise that these oils are solid at room temperature.

Is lauric acid a solid at room temperature?

The freezing point of lauric acid is lower than room temperature, meaning that it is a solid at room temperature.

How can water affect the freezing point of lauric acid?

Water decreases the freezing point of lauric acid by lowering the temperature at which it solidifies.

When solvent molecules are added to a solute (in this case, the lauric acid), the solvent will surround the solute molecule and weaken its interactions with other molecules. This decrease in intermolecular forces will cause the freezing point of the substance to decrease. Adding water to lauric acid will have this effect, causing it to freeze at a lower temperature than without water present.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lauric Acid And Freezing Points

This section answers some of the most commonly asked questions about lauric acid and freezing points.

What is lauric acid?

Lauric acid is a type of fat found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and milk fat. Coconut oil and palm kernel oil are made up of mostly saturated fats, with lauric acid being the most predominant one. This particular fatty acid has many benefits, including weight loss, improved mental clarity, and increased energy.

When you consume foods that contain lauric acid, your body will convert it into monolaurin. Monolaurin is a compound that has antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal properties.

What is lauric acid used for?

Lauric acid is a fatty acid that is used to make soaps and cosmetics, as well as in chemistry experiments. It is used in the cosmetic and soap industry because it is inexpensive, non-toxic, has a relatively high melting point, and can be used as an intermediate or surface-active agent.

How do you freeze lauric acid?

You can freeze pure lauric acid by reducing the temperature of the lauric acid below its freezing point of 44 °C.

Does lauric acid melt and freeze at the same temperature?

Yes, the freezing point of lauric acid is higher than the melting point. This makes intuitive sense because the freezing point and melting point describe a change in state from liquid to solid and solid to liquid.

What are some practical applications of freezing point depression?

Practical applications of freezing point depression include putting salty on icy roads to lower the ice’s melting temperature, the production of ice cream, and car radiator fluid that does not freeze at 0 °C

What is the molecular formula for lauric acid?

The molecular formula for lauric acid is C12H24O2. This molecule is a saturated fatty acid found in coconut oil and other tropical oils.

Molar mass of lauric acid

The molar mass of lauric acid is 200.3178 grams per mole. It has a chain of 12 carbon atoms, and you can calculate the molecular weight by adding up all the atomic weights on the molecule.

Is lauric acid a molecular or ionic compound?

Lauric acid is a molecular compound.

Is lauric acid a fatty acid?

Yes, Lauric acid is a fatty acid.

Structure: Is lauric acid a crystalline?

Yes, lauric acid is crystalline. It is manufactured commercially as a white, crystalline powder with a smell described as similar to bay oil.

What is the specific heat of lauric acid?

The specific heat of lauric acid is 1.8 J/g.

Lauric acid saponification value

Lauric Acid has a saponification value of 279 to 283 mg KOH/g.

Boiling point of lauric acid

The boiling point of lauric acid is 298.9 degrees Celsius or 570 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why is coconut oil a liquid at room temperature?

Coconut oil is a popular cooking oil derived from the fractionation of mixed coconut or palm kernel oils. These oils are turned into liquid form by adding synthetic lauryl alcohol, which is why coconut oil is a liquid at room temperature.

Lauric acid is the primary fatty acid in both palm kernel and coconut oils, but only 45 to 53 percent of the coconut is lauric acid, while 48% of Palm Kernels are lauric acid.

What do plant oils contain more of which causes them to be liquid at room temperature?

Plant oils contain more carbon-to-carbon double bonds, which causes them to be liquid at room temperature. These oils have what is called an “unsaturated” fat, meaning that there are spaces between the hydrogen atoms on the hydrocarbon chain where other atoms could fit. Since animal fats (like butter) lack these carbon-to-carbon double bonds, they are solid at room temperature.

Does milk have lauric acid?

Some people might be wondering if cow milk has lauric acid. The answer is yes! Cow milk and human milk have this beneficial compound.

Are the substances lauric acid and stearic acid solid or liquid at room temperature?

The substances lauric acid and stearic acid are solid at room temperature. The melting point of lauric acid and stearic acid is 44 °C and 69.3 °C, respectively.

Benzoic acid freezing point

The freezing point of benzoic acid is 122.3 degrees Celsius, equivalent to 252.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

Keep in mind that the freezing point of a solution is defined as the temperature at which liquid and vapor coexist in equilibrium. In contrast, the melting point of a solid is the lowest temperature at which it can be completely melted into its component polycrystalline grains without recrystallization or decomposition to an intermetallic compound.

What foods are high in lauric acid?

If you’re looking to add more lauric acid to your diet, you don’t have to look too hard. This fatty acid is found in a variety of common foods. For example, butter, oil, and margarine all contain high levels of lauric acid. In addition, many dairy products are rich in this nutrient. Cheese, condensed milk, and ice cream are all excellent sources of lauric acid. You can also find this nutrient in some fruit juices, such as orange juice. So if you’re looking for ways to boost your intake, there are plenty of options available.

What temperature does mercury freeze?

The freezing point of mercury is -38.83 degrees Celsius, equivalent to -37.89 degrees Fahrenheit.