Laboratory Procedures in Determination of Solution’s Concentration

In performing chemical experiments across the world, the most important procedure is
preparing a solution. With this, the concentration of the solution must be determined first.

Recall that a solution is made up of a substance dissolved in liquid. The substance that is
being dissolved is called solute while the substance that is dissolving the solute is known as
solvent. We can then call the result of this mixture as solution. Most of the time, solution is defined
by their solute concentration, which refers to the measure of how much solute is present per unit
of solution.

Making solution is easy and requires basic skill only; however, poor technique in doing
this may result to a failed experiment. That is why, it is a must that we should know how to properly
prepare a solution in a laboratory experiment.

Are you familiar with the concept “Safety First”? Well, that also applies in performing a
laboratory experiment. The first consideration when making a solution is the safety of those who
will perform the experiment. That is why beforehand, your personal protective equipment (PPE)
should be complete and appropriate. Examples of this PPE are safety goggles, face mask, gloves
and laboratory coat.

When you’re already equipped with your PPE, the next thing to do is to determine the
moles of the solute you will need in order to achieve the desired concentration of your solution.
Then convert this value to grams using the molar mass of the chemical. The chemicals can be
weighed out using a digital and analytical balance.

In an aqueous solution, the solvent to be used is water. In measuring the volume of the
water, you can use the graduated cylinder. Most of the time, it is roughly ¾ of the final volume of
the solution. It is also highly recommended to use purified water rather than tap water to avoid
contamination and compromising the quality of the solution.

After measuring the volume of the solvent to be used, you can then transfer it to a beaker
which contains a stir bar. The weighed solute can then be added to the purified water. Heating
and stirring the solution is also recommended upon mixing to make the process of dissolving
faster.

Now, these are the most common scenarios in performing a laboratory experiment. But
you might wonder how did we come up with the right values of the volume needed? Usually, a
given volume and molarity are required before starting the experiment. Let’s do the calculations!
Starting with a Solid Solute Procedure

1. Determine the mass in grams of one mole of solute, the molar mass (MM).
2. Decide volume of solution required, in liters, V.
3. Decide molarity of solution required, M.
4. Calculate mass (M) in grams of solute (g) required using equation 3.2.1,

Mass = MM x M x V equation 3.2.1

Example: Prepare 800 mL of 2 M sodium chloride.

MMNaCl = 58.45 g/mol
MNaCl= 58.45 g/mol (2 mol/L)(0.8 L)
MNaCl = 93.52 g NaCl

Therefore, you must dissolve 93.52 g of NaCl in about 400 mL of distilled water, then add
more water until final volume is 800 mL.

Basically, in making solution, the following is the most used procedure.

Fill
Transfer
volumetric Add more
Label the
the solid flask with
Weigh the flask with Stir until the deionized
to the the
solid deionized solid is or distilled
volumetric correspondi
or distilled dissolved water until
flask ng solution's
water the mark
name