Final answer:
While the safety of a 0.50% (m/v) MgCl2 IV solution is a medical question, the van 't Hoff factor of MgCl2, impacting its physical properties, is typically less than the ideal due to incomplete dissociation or ion reassociation in solution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The safety of using a 0.50% (m/v) MgCl2 solution in an IV is a medical question that would depend on various factors including patient condition, medical protocols, and specific medical advice. However, calculating the van 't Hoff factor, which is relevant to the physical properties of the solution, is a chemistry question that can be addressed.
When a 0.500 m solution of MgCl2 has a freezing point of -2.60°C, this indicates the solution has colligative properties affected by the ionic solute. The true van 't Hoff factor of this compound is determined by how it dissociates in solution.
Theoretical dissociation for MgCl2 would give a van 't Hoff factor of 3 (one Mg2+ ion and two Cl- ions), but it tends to be less in reality due to ion pairing or other interactions in solution.
The provided data indicates a van 't Hoff factor of 2.7, which is less than the ideal value because not all ions completely dissociate or they might reassociate to some extent, thus reducing the effective number of particles contributing to the colligative properties.