Why Is Molality Used Instead of Molarity?

Molality (m) and molarity (M) both express the concentration of a chemical solution. Molality is the number of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent. Molarity is the number of moles of solute per liter of solution. If the solvent is water and the concentration of solute is fairly low (i.e., dilute solution), molality and molarity are approximately the same. However, the approximation fails as a solution becomes more concentrated, involves a solvent other than water, or if it undergoes temperature changes that could change the density of the solvent. In these situations, molality is the preferred method of expressing concentration because the mass of solute and solvent in a solution does not change.

When to Use Molality and When to Use Molarity

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The Difference Between Molality and Molarity

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Molality is used any time you expect the solute may interact with the solute and in the following situations:

• To determine a boiling point
• To determine a melting point
• When working with colligative properties (boiling point elevation, freezing point depression)

Molarity is used for dilute aqueous solutions held at a constant temperature. In general, the difference between molarity and molality for aqueous solutions near room temperature is very small and it won't really matter whether you use a molar or molal concentration.

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