Solutions and Dilutions Problems to Turn In

Make sure you understand how to do these problems as similar ones will appear
on quizzes and exams. In addition we will be making solutions and dilutions at
various times throughout the semester.

1. Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) has a relative molecular weight of 95.211 g/

mol.

a. How many grams of MgCl 2 powder would need to be weighed out to make
500 ml of a 0.3 M solution?

b. What is the osmolarity of a 0.3M MgCl2 solution?

2. Potassium chloride (KCl) has a relative molecular weight of 74.55 g/mol.

a. How many grams of powdered KCl would be needed to make 300 ml of a

15% KCl stock solution?

b. What is the molarity of the 15% KCl stock solution?

 c. How would you dilute the above 15% KCl stock solution to yield 100 ml of
a 0.1 M solution?

3. You have a 10 M solution of potassium phosphate. A lab procedure calls for

10 ml of a 1 mM solution. Describe how you could make such a solution, us-
ing no less than 1 ml and no greater than 10ml.

4. You are given a highly concentrated solution of an enzyme called alkaline

phosphatase. However, the exact concentration is unknown. The activity of
the enzyme can be measured using a test called an enzyme activity assay.
This assay allows you to determine the concentration in activity units (U). You
perform this assay on the concentrated enzyme solution, but find that the ac-
tivity is "off the charts." That is, the enzyme is too concentrated to be used in
the enzyme assay. To get around this problem you make a decimal serial di-
lutions of the enzyme and test each diluted solution for enzyme activity. The
dilution is carried out as follows.

Step 1: 1ml of the concentrated enzyme is added to 9 ml water.

Step 2: 1ml of the solution made in step 1 is added to 9 ml water.

Step 3: 1ml of the solution made in step 2 is added to 9 ml water.

Step 4. The solution made in step 3 is tested and found to contain 50 activity
units of enzyme per ml (i.e. 50 U/ml).

What is the concentration in U/ml of the initial concentrated enzyme solution?