PREPARING SOLUTIONS AND

REAGENTS
 Chemical Solutions
(aqueous = water is the solvent)
Types of vessels (least to most precise):

Beaker
Erlennmeyer flask
Graduated cylinder
Volumetric flask
DEFINITIONS:
SOLUTES -- substances that are
dissolved

SOLVENTS -- substance in which

solutes are dissolved (usually water)

AMOUNT -- how much

 Goals
Make solutions
Dilute solutions
Convert between different concentrations
of solutions
 Facts of Life
Mass is measured in Grams, mg, g
1g = 1000mg = 1,000,000g

Volume is measured in liters, mL, L

1L = 1000mL = 1,000,000 L

Density of water is 1 g / mL
 Facts of life (contd)
Concentration means: amount of solute in
a volume of solution

Expressed in many ways:

1. percent
2. mg/ mL
3. molar
4. X solution
Each star represents 1 mg of NaCl.
What is the total amount of NaCl in the tube? _____
What is the concentration of NaCl in the tube (in
mg/mL)? _____

5 mg = ?
8 mL 1 mL
8 mL
? = 0.63 mg, so the
concentration is
0.63 mg/mL
 Percent Solutions
Per means for every one
Cent means 100

Example: a 5% sugar solution has

5 grams of sugar for 100g of solution, or

5g 100 g of water = 100 mL, and the

100mL solution is mostly water.
 Make 250 mL of a 3% starch
solution
3 g / 100 g = 3 g / 100 mL because density of
water is 1 g / mL

Set up a ratio:

3 g / 100 mL = ?g / 250 mL

Use 7.5 g of starch and bring to a volume of (BTV)

250 mL with distilled water
 mg / mL Solutions
5 mg/mL has 5 milligrams of solute in 1
milliliter of solution
 Make a 250 mL of a 3 mg /mL
starch solution

Set up a ratio:

3 mg / 1 mL = ?mg / 250 mL

Use 750 mg of starch and bring to a volume

of (BTV) 250 mL with distilled water
 Molar Solutions
1 mole is 6.02 x 1023 items

Molecular weight or Formula weight is

really the mass of 1 mole of molecules (see
periodic table)

Example: 1 mol of sodium chloride (NaCl)

has a mass of 58.44 g.
 MOLARITY

Molarity is: number of moles of a solute

that are dissolved per liter of total solution.

A 1 M solution contains 1 mole of

solute per liter total volume.
 MOLE
How much is a mole?
 EXAMPLE: SULFURIC ACID

For a particular compound, add the atomic weights of

the atoms that compose the compound.

H2SO4:

2 hydrogen atoms 2 X 1.00 g = 2.00 g

1 sulfur atom 1 X 32.06 g = 32.06 g
4 oxygen atoms 4 X 16.00 g = 64.00 g
98.06 g
 EXAMPLE CONTINUED

A 1M solution of sulfuric acid contains 98.06

g of sulfuric acid in 1 liter of total solution.

"mole" is an expression of amount

"molarity" is an expression of concentration.

 DEFINITIONS

"Millimolar", mM, millimole/L.

A millimole is 1/1000 of a mole.

"Micromolar", M, mole/L.
A mole is 1/1,000,000 of a mole.
 FORMULA
HOW MUCH SOLUTE IS NEEDED FOR A SOLUTION OF
A PARTICULAR MOLARITY AND VOLUME?

(g solute ) X (mole) X (L) = g solute needed

1 mole L

or

FW X molarity x volume = g solute needed

 EXAMPLE

How much solute is required to make 300

mL of 0.8 M CaCl2?
 ANSWER
(111.0 g) x (0.8 mole) x (0.3 L) = 26.64 g
mole L
 Make 250 mL of a 3 molar NaCl solution

58.44g x 3 moles x 0.25 L = ? g

1 mole 1L

? = 43.8g of NaCl

BTV of 250 mL
 X solutions
X means times
A 40X buffer solution is 40 times more
concentrated than the standard working
solution
Stock solutions / concentrates
How much stock solution you need =
total volume you need divided by
the X number
 Diluting Solutions
Conc 1 x Vol. 1 = Conc 2 x Vol 2

Usually want 1 X solutions

 Example: Frozen Orange Juice
Solution 1 is the frozen concentrate
Solution 2 is the 1X juice you drink

How concentrated is it?

C1 V1 = C2 V2
(? X) (250mL) = (1X) (1000 mL)
 Answer:

Frozen OJ is 4X because of the

final volume is the concentrated oj
 Example: bleach sterilant
Solution 1 is 100% bleach stock solution
Solution 2 is 6% bleach what you want

How do you make 350 mL of 6% bleach?

C1 V1 = C2 V2
(100%) (?) = (6%) (350 mL)
 Answer:

You need 21 mL of 100% bleach

BTV 350 mL.