HoffFaktor
HoffFaktor, commonly known as the van't Hoff factor, is a dimensionless quantity used in chemistry to describe the number of particles produced in solution per formula unit of dissolved substance. It is denoted by i and appears in equations for colligative properties, where the effect of solute particles on properties such as boiling point, freezing point, and osmotic pressure is considered. For nonelectrolytes, i is approximately 1 because the solute does not dissociate. For electrolytes, i reflects how many particles the solute yields upon dissolution and can deviate from ideal values in real solutions.
In ideal conditions, i equals the number of particles formed from each formula unit. For example, sodium
HoffFaktor is applied in calculations of freezing point depression (ΔTf = i·Kf·m), boiling point elevation (ΔTb = i·Kb·m),