CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS

How do we define the components of solubility, solute and solvent? How do we relate these
quantities of solubility in chemistry? How do we define chemical concentration? How does the
amount of atoms/molecules affect the properties of a chemical mixture?

Why?
In chemistry, it is always important to understand what amount of certain chemicals
you will need to perform needed chemical reactions. This measurement of the
amount of atoms/molecules can be classified as concentration; however, how do
chemists know the amount of atoms/molecules within a gallon jug of solution? A test
tube? A syringe? Even if the concentration of the container is labeled, how do
chemist know the label is correct? In this activity, we will address the questions:
How does the amount of different chemicals alter the properties of solution and how
do we represent concentration in verbal/numerical contexts?

REVIEW:
Before venturing on into what chemical concentration is and how it is represented, we need to
review a couple of key terms:
Solute = The component of solution that present in the least amount. It is the substance
that is dissolved
Solvent = The component of a solution that is present in the greatest amount. It is the
substance in which the solute is dissolved

MODEL 2:

Each represents a
100 mL beaker with
Copper (II) Sulfate
aqueous solution.

Figure 1 Figure 2

1. According to the figures above, which solution would you perceive as darker in color?
2. What would cause one solution to be darker than the other, even if each container
contains the same type of chemical solution?

3. Based the comparisons that you have created between each container, which solution do
you think contains more solute per unit of volume? Explain your reasoning

4. With this reasoning established, what do think the definition of concentration is?

5. Using the definition you created, what do you believe would be some of the factors that
would affect concentration?

6. When a solution is diluted, solvent is added to concentrated solution. Suppose that

Figure 1 represents a diluted version of Figure 2 by the addition of water. How does the
amount of solute in Figure 2 differ from the amount of solute present in Figure 1?

7. Do you believe that the concentration of a chemical solution is proportional to solute?

Solvent? Provide evidence based on your conclusions of Figure 1 and Figure 2.
READ THIS!!
For chemists worldwide, chemical concentration is typically known as molarity, or molar
concentration. Molarity is the measurement of the number of moles of atoms/molecules within a
particular liter volume, or M = mol/L. When written, the symbol of molarity (M) is typically
accompanied by a numerical value; for example, a three moles of Copper (II) Sulfate in 1 liter of total
solution is written as: 3.0M CuSO4

8. How could molarity be described in the context of solute/solvent? Does this differ from
the definition above? Explain your reasoning.

EXERCISES
1. Suppose that a student obtains solute in the amount of grams, and solvent in the amount
of gallons. How would the information be manipulated to fit the definition of molarity?

2. Calculate the molarity of 3.5 moles of CuSO4 dissolved in a 5 liter solution.

3. Intravenous (IV) saline solutions are administered to hospital patients, to which the saline
solution contains 0.9g of NaCl in exactly 100 mL of solution. Calculate the molarity of
the saline solution.
4. Suppose you have 1.5 liters of a 4.2M solution of KMnO4. How many moles of KMnO4
are present in the solution? What was the amount of KMnO4 dissolved in the solvent in
grams?

5. A scientist has a 0.25M aqueous solution of NaNO3, with exactly 35 grams of dissolved
NaNO3. What has to be the volume of the solution?

6. Calculate the following molarities:

a. 85g of KI in 2.2 L of solution

b. 35g of NaI in 250 mL of solution

c. Which of the solutions, 6a or 6b, is more concentrated? Explain how this is true non-
mathematically.

d. If the type of solvent of 6a and 6b was changed to another inert substance, but the
amount of solvent was not altered, would the concentration of each change as well?
Explain your reasoning.
MODEL 3:
Suppose we have 2M solution of Copper (II) Sulfate, and we are needed to perform a
precipitation experiment. We decide that we need a cup worth of the 2M solution, and then a
tablespoon portion of the solution as well. This can be further demonstrated below:

1L of 2M CuSO4 1 Cup of ?M CuSO4 1 Tablespoon of ?M CuSO4

1. Based on the color of each portion of Copper (II) Sulfate, does it appear that the
concentration of Copper (II) Sulfate changed at it went to lower volume?

2. To further clarify your answer to #1, has the number of moles of CuSO4 changed from
each volume of solution? Explain with your observations as evidence

3. Suppose the beginning solution of 2M CuSO4 was increased to a volume of 2L instead of

1L. Would the beginning solution still look the same or different? What about the cup
and tablespoon solutions?
READ THIS!!

Another useful technique that chemists use very frequently in the laboratory is called
dilutions. Dilutions are useful to perform because of how it can be fit the physical parameters
of a particular chemical system (volume, number of moles, stoichiometric relations, etc) and
provide necessary controls for chemical analysis.

MODEL 4:
Suppose we want to perform a dilution of sodium chloride solution with the addition of
water as seen below:

+ =

50 mL of 2M NaCl 50 mL of H2O

100 mL of ?
1. Based on the diagram, what is the solute? What is the solvent?

2. What chemical quantity changed after dilution? Solute or solvent?

3. What chemical quantity didnt change after dilution? Solute or Solvent?

4. Does the number of moles of NaCl change during the dilution?

 5. Based on your answers to 1-4, determine the concentration of NaCl in the final solution.

6. Does the concentration of NaCl change as you dilute? How does it compare to the
original concentration of NaCl via mathematically?

7. In knowing these things, set up a mathematical proportionality that demonstrates the

dilution of the original NaCl solution to newly formed diluted solution of NaCl. (Hint:
The variables will be of molarity and the dilution factor, being the changing
chemical quantity in dilution.)

EXCERCISES:
1. 53.4 mL of a 1.50 M solution of NaCl is on hand, but you need some 0.800 M solution.
How many mL of 0.800 M can you make?

2. 100.0 mL of 2.500 M KBr solution is on hand. You need 0.5500 M. What is the final
volume of solution which results?

3. A serial dilution are dilutions carried out in increments using the same dilution factor for
each dilution. Suppose we want to perform a serial dilution using information in #2.
Calculate the concentrations of the KBR solution after the 2nd , 3rd, and 4th dilution.