Ways in expressing concentration of a solution

The concentration of a solution

is a macroscopic property, represents the amount of solute dissolved in a unit amount of solvent or of solution, and can be expressed in a variety of ways (qualitatively and quantitatively).

Qualitative Expressions of Concentration

A solution can be qualitatively described as

dilute: a solution that contains a small proportion of solute relative to solvent, or concentrated: a solution that contains a large proportion of solute relative to solvent.

Semi-Quantitative Expressions of Concentration

A solution can be semi-quantitatively described as

unsaturated: a solution in which more solute will dissolve, or saturated: a solution in which no more solute will dissolve.

The solubility of a solute is the amount of solute that will dissolve in a given amount of solvent to produce a saturated solution. For example, at 0oC, we can dissolve a maximum of 35.7 g of solid NaCl in 100 mL of water (a saturated solution). Any additional solid NaCl that we add to the saturated solution simply falls to the bottom of the container and does not dissolve.

Quantitative Expressions of Concentration

There are a number of ways to express the relative amounts of solute and solvent in a solution. Which one we choose to use often depends on convenience. For example, it is sometimes easier to measure the volume of a solution rather than the mass of the solution. Note that some expressions for concentration are temperature-dependent (i.e., the concentration of the solution changes as the temperature changes), whereas others are not. This is an important consideration for experiments in which the temperature does not remain constant.

Temperature Dependence of Several Concentration Expressions concentration expression

percent composition (by mass) molarity

measurements required
mass of solute mass of solution moles of solute volume of solution moles of solute mass of solvent

temperature dependent?
no (mass does not change with temperature) yes (volume changes with temperature) no (neither mass nor moles changes with temperature) no (moles does not change with temperature)

molality

mole fraction

moles of solute moles of solvent

Percent Composition (by mass)

We can consider percent by mass (or weight percent, as it is sometimes called) in two ways:

The parts of solute per 100 parts of solution. The fraction of a solute in a solution multiplied by 100.

We need two pieces of information to calculate the percent by mass of a solute in a solution:

The mass of the solute in the solution. The mass of the solution. Use the following equation to calculate percent by mass:

Molarity
Molarity tells us the number of moles of solute in exactly one liter of a solution. (Note that molarity is spelled with an "r" and is represented by a capital M.) We need two pieces of information to calculate the molarity of a solute in a solution:

The moles of solute present in the solution. The volume of solution (in liters) containing the solute.

To calculate molarity we use the equation:

Molality
Molality, m, tells us the number of moles of solute dissolved in exactly one kilogram of solvent. (Note that molality is spelled with two "l"'s and represented by a lower case m.) We need two pieces of information to calculate the molality of a solute in a solution:

The moles of solute present in the solution. The mass of solvent (in kilograms) in the solution.

To calculate molality we use the equation:

Mole Fraction
The mole fraction, X, of a component in a solution is the ratio of the number of moles of that component to the total number of moles of all components in the solution. To calculate mole fraction, we need to know:

The number of moles of each component present in the solution.

The mole fraction of A, XA, in a solution consisting of A, B, C, ... is calculated using the equation:

To calculate the mole fraction of B, XB, use:

Factors Affecting Solubility

1. Effect of Temperature For some substances to dissolve in a given solvent, heat is absorbed. The reaction is endothermic. In this case, an increase in temperature increases solubility. For some substances, heat is released when they dissolve in a given solvent. The reaction is called exothermic. In this case, an increase in temperature decreases solubility. Generally, an increase in temperature in the solubility of solids in liquids increases solubility. But for solubility of gas in liquids, an increase in temperature decreases solubility because gas evaporates as temperature increases. . 2. Effect of Pressure Pressure unlike temperature has little effect on solutions unless the solute is a gas. An increase in pressure causes greater interaction between particles of the gas and the liquid, thus, increasing solubility. 3. Nature of solute and solvent Nature of both the solute and the solvent affect the solubility. Substances with similar intermolecular attractive forces tend to be soluble in one another. This generalization is stated as "like dissolves like." Non polar solutes are soluble in non polar solvents; Polar or ionic solutes are soluble in polar solvents Liquids that are attracted by charged objects are composed of polar molecules; those that are not attracted by a charged body are non polar

Acids and Bases Acids are compounds that tend to give up a hydrogen ion (H+). They are usually sour. They react with bases to form salt and water. Bases are compounds that tend to receive a hydrogen ion (H+). They are usually bitter. They react with acids to form salt and water. Indicators are compounds that slightly change their structure, and also their color, in the presence of acid or base. Neutralization reaction is the reaction between an acid and a base, forming a salt and water. There are numerous acids and bases in our household: vinegar, muriatic acid, car battery acid, lye, baking soda, spirit of ammonia Acids in the atmosphere are usually produced by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides that are released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. They may be carried to the ground by rain.

Colligative Properties of Nonelectrolyte Solutions

Colligative properties (or collective properties) are properties that depend only on the number of solute particles in solution and not on the nature of the solute particles. These properties are bound together by a common origin they all depend on the number of solute particles present, regardless of whether they are atoms, ions or particles. The colligative particles are vapor-pressure lowering, boiling-point, electrolyte freezing-depression, and osmotic pressure. Vapor-Pressure Lowering If a solute is nonvolatile,(that is, it doesnt have a measurable vapor pressure), the vapor pressure of its solution is always less than that of the pure solvent. Thus the relationship between solution vapor pressure and solvent vapor pressure depends on the concentration of the solute in the solution. This relationship is expressed by Raoults Law, which states that the partial pressure of a solvent over a solution, P1, is given by the vapor pressure of the pure solvent, P1, times the mole fraction of the solvent solution, X1: P1 = X1P1 Boling-Point Elevation The boiling point of a solution is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the external atmospheric pressure. Because the presence of a nonvolatile solute lowers the vapor pressure of a solution, it must also affect the boiling point of a solution. The boiling-point elevation (b) is defined as the boiling point of the solution (Tb) minus the boiling point of the pure solvent (Tb): b = Tb - Tb Because Tb Tb is a positive quantity. The value of b is proportional to the vapor-pressure lowering, and so it is also proportional to the concentration (molality) of the solution. That is, b m b = Kbm Freezing-Point Depression A nonscientist may remain forever unaware of the boiling-point elevation phenomenon, but a careful observer living in a cold climate is familiar with freezing-point depression. The freezing-point depression (1) is used as the freezing point of the pure solvent (T1) minus the freezing point of the pure solvent of the solute (Tf). 1=1- f Because f , f is a positive quantity. Again, f is proportional to the concentration of solution: f f = Kf where m is the concentration of the solute in molality units, and Kf is the molal freezing point depression constant. Osmotic Pressure The chemical and biological processes depend on osmosis, the selective passage of solvent molecules through a porous membrane from dilute solution to a more concentrated one. The osmotic pressure () of solution is the pressure required to stop osmosis. The osmotic pressure of a solution is given by where is the molarity of solution, is the gas constant (0.0821 L .atm/K . mol), and is the absolute temperature. The osmotic pressure, is expressed in atm. Because osmotic pressure measurements are carried out at constant temperature, it is express in terms of the more convenient units of molarity rather than molality. Like boiling point, elevation and freezing point depression, osmotic pressure is directly proportional to the concentration of solution. This is what we would expect, because all colligative properties depend only on number of solute particles in solution. If two solutions are of equal concentration and, hence, have the same osmosis pressure, they are said to be isotonic. If two solutions are unequal osmotic pressures, the most concentrated solution is said to be hypertonic and the more dilute solution is described as hypotonic.

Submitted by: Julie Ann Laurente Submitted to: Mrs. Felicidad Racho