Final answer:
The hot water bath should remain a few degrees below the solvent's elevated boiling point, which is higher than the pure solvent's normal boiling point due to the presence of a solute.
Step-by-step explanation:
When determining the temperature at which the hot water bath should remain for solvent with the highest vapor pressure, it is important to consider the normal boiling point of that solvent. The temperature at which the vapor pressure equals atmospheric pressure is the boiling point. Therefore, the hot water bath should remain a few degrees below the boiling point of the solvent with the highest vapor pressure.
For instance, if the solvent in question is water, the normal boiling point is 100 °C at 1 atm. However, if a solute is dissolved in water, the boiling point is elevated due to the decrease in vapor pressure of the solution. This phenomenon is called boiling point elevation.
Therefore, if the goal is to maintain the solvent below boiling despite any solutes present, the water bath should stay a few degrees below the elevated boiling point, which could be slightly above 100 °C depending on the solute concentration.