The density of a 16.0 mass % solution of sulfuric acid in water is 1.1094 g/mL at 25.0 °C. What is the molarity of the solution?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the given information: the solution is 16.0 mass % sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), and the density of the solution is 1.1094 g/mL.
2. Calculate the mass of sulfuric acid in 100 g of the solution. Since it is a 16.0 mass % solution, there are 16.0 g of H₂SO₄ in 100 g of solution.
3. Determine the volume of the 100 g solution using its density: Volume = Mass / Density. Use the density of 1.1094 g/mL to find the volume in mL.
4. Convert the volume from mL to L, as molarity is expressed in moles per liter.
5. Calculate the molarity by dividing the moles of sulfuric acid by the volume of the solution in liters. Use the molar mass of H₂SO₄ (approximately 98.08 g/mol) to convert grams to moles.

Key Concepts

Density

Density is defined as mass per unit volume, typically expressed in grams per milliliter (g/mL) or kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³). In this context, the density of the sulfuric acid solution allows us to relate the mass of the solution to its volume, which is essential for calculating molarity.

Molarity

Molarity is a measure of concentration defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution (mol/L). To find the molarity of the sulfuric acid solution, we need to determine the number of moles of sulfuric acid present in a given volume of the solution, which requires knowledge of the solution's density and the mass percentage.

Mass Percent

Mass percent is a way of expressing the concentration of a solute in a solution, calculated as the mass of the solute divided by the total mass of the solution, multiplied by 100. In this case, the 16.0 mass % sulfuric acid indicates that there are 16 grams of sulfuric acid in every 100 grams of the solution, which is crucial for determining the number of moles of solute.