Reappraisal of disparities between osmolality estimates by freezing point depression and vapor pressure deficit methods.

As a response to recent expression of concern about possible unreliability of vapor pressure deficit measurements (K. Kiyosawa, Biophys. Chem. 104 (2003) 171-188), the results of published studies on the temperature dependence of the osmotic pressure of aqueous polyethylene glycol solutions are shown to account for the observed discrepancies between osmolality estimates obtained by freezing point depression and vapor pressure deficit osmometry--the cause of the concern.