Final answer:
Freezing point depression is the lowering of a solution's freezing point compared to the pure solvent due to the presence of a solute. The change in freezing point (ΔTf) is calculated using the equation ΔTf = i * Kf * m, where i is the van't Hoff factor, Kf is the freezing point depression constant, and m is the molality of the solution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Freezing point depression is a colligative property that explains how the addition of a solute to a solvent results in the lowering of the freezing point of the solution compared to the pure solvent. The fundamental principle behind it is that the solute particles disrupt the formation of a solid structure by the solvent molecules, hence requiring a lower temperature for the solution to solidify. To quantify this phenomenon, the equation that relates freezing point depression to the solute molality is typically used. The relevant formula can be expressed as ΔTf = i * Kf * m, where ΔTf is the change in the freezing point of the solution, i is the van't Hoff factor (which represents the number of particles the solute splits into or forms in solution), Kf is the freezing point depression constant of the solvent, and m is the molality of the solution