The Environmental Protection Agency has set the limit for arsenic in drinking water at 0.010 ppm. To what volume would you need to dilute 1.5 L of water containing 5.0 ppm arsenic to reach the acceptable limit?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the initial concentration (C1) of arsenic in the water, which is 5.0 ppm.
2. Identify the final concentration (C2) that you want to achieve, which is 0.010 ppm.
3. Identify the initial volume (V1) of the water, which is 1.5 L.
4. Use the dilution formula C1 * V1 = C2 * V2 to find the final volume (V2).
5. Rearrange the formula to solve for V2: V2 = (C1 * V1) / C2.

Key Concepts

Dilution Principle

The dilution principle states that when a solution is diluted, the amount of solute remains constant while the volume of the solution increases. This relationship can be expressed mathematically as C1V1 = C2V2, where C1 and V1 are the initial concentration and volume, and C2 and V2 are the final concentration and volume after dilution.

Parts Per Million (ppm)

Parts per million (ppm) is a unit of measurement used to describe the concentration of a substance in a solution. It indicates how many parts of a substance are present in one million parts of the solution, making it a useful measure for very dilute concentrations, such as contaminants in drinking water.

Environmental Standards

Environmental standards are regulatory limits set by agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to protect public health and the environment. These standards, like the arsenic limit of 0.010 ppm in drinking water, are based on scientific research and aim to minimize exposure to harmful substances.