Name: Morales, Lucky Joy P.

Class Code: 0737 Date: June 26, 2021

Question to Ponder: Why should you always specify the concentration of solutions used in analytical
chemistry techniques? Provide one example of possible trouble in the lab which might occur if the
concentration is not correctly specified.

Answer:

Generally speaking, concentration is the ratio between the amount of a solute and the amount
of the solvent or solution in which that solute is contained. In analytical chemistry, we usually need to
know not the volume or the weight of a substance but the number of its particles. With this mind,
concentration of a solution is very critical not just in analytical chemistry but in real life laboratory
experiments. First, concentration is used for chemical reactions as such it tells us how much we have
in a specified volume of solution and without concentration it will be like trying to make a recipe of
something without specific amounts of ingredients. A chemical reaction that requires a specific amount
of a reagent will not work without the proper concentration. In simpler terms, a greater concentration
means a larger number of molecules per unit volume and molecules in smaller concentrations are going
to face less collisions, hence are more likely to move in a straight path but when concentrations get
higher, the greater the collisions will be. One possible trouble in the lab with the improper use or
utilization of the concentration of each chemical solutions is that it might lead to an erroneous test result
such as when separating and identifying cations and anions of a certain group, without the proper
concentration of solution that should be mixed or dilute with the original substance, the result would not
be accurate and might even lead to a failed experiment. In real life application, I have this experience
whenever I wash my clothes, I put the powdered laundry detergent in the washer and without knowing
how much of the powder should I put, I roughly put 5 cups of the powder for 10 clothes. When they
were done being washed, I got them and there were bits of the powder all over the clothes, the water
didn’t have the ability to dissolve the powder because it’s too much and obviously the concentration
was too high and I had a hard time washing them with water because there’s so much laundry detergent
in them. So from this experience, I learned that the solute of the solution should always be within the
range of the solvent depending on how much concentration I want. Maybe if I had more than 10 clothes
and another litre or two of water it would be enough.

Pyrrho Marixianto Manicap stated that concentration of a solution is essential in order to

determine values such as Molarity, Molality, Weigh percent and so on and I agree with due to the fact
that when determining the Molarity of a substance, concentration is what we are looking for. As an
example, if we are going to test for cations group 1, the result of the experiment will depend on the
concentration of the reagent to be used. Obtaining an inaccurate concentration of the reagent will lead
to an unexpected result to the experiment. So one should always measure the concentration of the
solution before proceeding with the experiment. In case of any difficulty, the concentration of the solution
is the best option in a laboratory. For instance, if the concentration of let’s say HCl is below 1M and we
need 2M for the experiment, measuring how much more do we need to add or decrease by using
concentration formulas can easily get us out of trouble. In real life application, say when cooking and
we need to add salt to the soup like sinigang, the right amount of solute should be measured so that
the solution or the soup I may say will not be too salty nor too bland so that everyone can happily eat
their meal without complication. If for an instance the cook put too much salt and the concentration goes
from 0 to 100, then again, dilution of the solution with more solvent could save the soup.

Trisha Laroco stated that the concentration of a solution is essential in studying chemical
reactions due to the fact that it determines how often molecules collide and such. To enrich more of her
answer, Firstly, I agree with concentration determines how often molecules collide because the higher
the concentration of a solution the higher the kinetic energy present in the molecules, thus a higher
incidence of collision because the amount of solute is overpowering solvent to the point where there is
no more space for solutes in the solution and adding a little more solvent will ease the problem. An
example of this could be seen in our everyday life especially those who drink coffee. I wondered before
why is there always coffee granules left on my coffee cup after I finish drinking my coffee, and that is
because I have put a lot of coffee powder to the cup and only put a little water. The ratio of the solute
to the solvent is incredibly high, thus the concentration of the coffee is also high resulting to a stronger
taste of the coffee in the solution.
References:

Concentration (June 25, 2021) Retrieved July 25, 2021, from

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Analytical_Chemistry/Book%3A_Analytical_Chemistry_2.1_(
Harvey)/02%3A_Basic_Tools_of_Analytical_Chemistry/2.02%3A_Concentration

The Importance of Analytical Chemistry in Quantitative Pharmaceutical Sciences (2012) Retrieved July
25, 2021 from https://www.longdom.org/open-access/the-importance-of-analytical-chemistry-in-
quantitative-pharmaceutical-sciences-2153-2435.1000e142.pdf