CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY

College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education

Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
MODULE 7B
WAYS OF EXPRESSING CONCENTRATION IN SOLUTION
Brief Introduction or Description
Many people have a qualitative idea of what is meant by concentration. Anyone who has made instant coffee
or lemonade knows that too much powder gives a strongly flavored, highly concentrated drink, whereas too little
results in a dilute solution that may be hard to distinguish from water. In chemistry, the concentration of a
solution is the quantity of a solute that is contained in a particular quantity of solvent or solution. Knowing the
concentration of solutes is important in controlling the stoichiometry of reactants for solution reactions.
Chemists use many different methods to define concentrations, some of which are described in this modules .
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, you should be able to:
To describe the concentration of a solution in the way that is most appropriate for a particular problem or
application.
To be familiar with the different units used to express the concentrations of a solution.
Lesson 1 – SOLUBILITY OF THE GAS
External pressure has very little effect on the solubility of liquids and solids. In contrast, the solubility of gases
increases as the partial pressure of the gas above a solution increases. This point is illustrated in Figure below,
which shows the effect of increased pressure on the dynamic equilibrium that is established between the
dissolved gas molecules in solution and the molecules in the gas phase above the solution. Because the
concentration of molecules in the gas phase increases with increasing pressure, the concentration of dissolved
gas molecules in the solution at equilibrium is also higher at higher pressures.

A Model Depicting Why the Solubility of a Gas Increases as the Partial Pressure Increases at Constant
Temperature. (a) When a gas comes in contact with a pure liquid, some of the gas molecules (purple spheres)
collide with the surface of the liquid and dissolve. When the concentration of dissolved gas molecules has
increased so that the rate at which gas molecules escape into the gas phase is the same as the rate at which they
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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
dissolve, a dynamic equilibrium has been established, as depicted here. (b) Increasing the pressure of the gas
increases the number of molecules of gas per unit volume, which increases the rate at which gas molecules
collide with the surface of the liquid and dissolve. (c) As additional gas molecules dissolve at the higher pressure,
the concentration of dissolved gas increases until a new dynamic equilibrium is established.
The relationship between pressure and the solubility of a gas is described quantitatively by Henry’s law, which is
named for its discoverer, the English physician and chemist, William Henry (1775–1836): C = kP
where C is the concentration of dissolved gas at equilibrium, P is the partial pressure of the gas, and k is the
Henry’s law constant, which must be determined experimentally for each combination of gas, solvent, and
temperature. Although the gas concentration may be expressed in any convenient units, we will use molarity
exclusively. The units of the Henry’s law constant are therefore mol/(L·atm) = M/atm. Values of the Henry’s law
constants for solutions of several gases in water at 20°C are listed in Table 1

As the data in Table 1 demonstrate, the concentration of a dissolved gas in water at a given pressure depends
strongly on its physical properties. For a series of related substances, London dispersion forces increase as
molecular mass increases. Thus among the elements of group 18, the Henry’s law constants increase smoothly
from He to Ne to Ar. The table also shows that O2 is almost twice as soluble as N2. Although London dispersion
forces are too weak to explain such a large difference, O2 is paramagnetic and hence more polarizable than N2,
which explains its high solubility. (Note: When a substance is paramagnetic it is very weakly attracted by the
poles of a magnet, but does not retain any permanent magnetism).
Lesson 2 – Ways of Expressing Concentration of Solution
Concentrations are also often reported on a mass-to-mass (m/m) basis or on a mass-to-volume (m/v)
basis, particularly in clinical laboratories and engineering applications. A concentration expressed on an
m/m basis is equal to the number of grams of solute per gram of solution; a concentration on an m/v
basis is the number of grams of solute per milliliter of solution. Each measurement can be expressed as
a percentage by multiplying the ratio by 100; the result is reported as percent m/m or percent m/v. The
concentrations of very dilute solutions are often expressed in parts per million (ppm), which is grams of
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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
solute per 106 g of solution, or in parts per billion (ppb), which is grams of solute per 109 g of solution.
For aqueous solutions at 20°C, 1 ppm corresponds to 1 μg per milliliter, and 1 ppb corresponds to 1 ng
per milliliter.

A. Percent Composition (by mass)

We can consider percent by mass (or weight percent, as it is sometimes called) in two ways:
The parts of solute per 100 parts of solution.
The fraction of a solute in a solution multiplied by 100.
We need two pieces of information to calculate the percent by mass of a solute in a solution:
The mass of the solute in the solution.
The mass of the solution.
Use the following equation to calculate percent by mass:

SAMPLE PROBLEM
If a solution that has a mass of 800.0 grams contains 20.0 grams of NaCl, what is the concentration using
Percent by Mass?
Given:
Mass of Solute = 20. 0 grams
Mass of Solution = 800.0 grams

% by mass = 20.0g NaCl x 100

800.0g solution
% by mass = 2.50% NaCl

B. Percent Composition (by Volume)

Volume Percent: The volume percent is used to express the concentration of a solution when the volume
of a solute and the volume of a solution is given:

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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
SAMPLE PROBLEM

If a solution is made by taking 40 mL of ethanol and adding enough water to make 240 mL of solution,
the percent by volume is:
Given:
Volume of Solute = 40 mL
Volume of Solution = 240 mL

Find : %v/v

% v/v = 40 mL x 100
240 mL
= 20%

C. Mass /Volume Percent

Mass/Volume Percent: Another version of a percentage concentration is mass/volume percent, which
measures the mass or weight of solute in grams (e.g., in grams) vs. the volume of solution (e.g., in mL).
An example would be a 0.9% ( w/v) NaCl solution in medical saline solutions that contains 0.9 g of NaCl
for every 100 mL of solution (see figure below). The mass/volume percent is used to express the
concentration of a solution when the mass of the solute and volume of the solution is given. Since the
numerator and denominator have different units, this concentration unit is not a true relative unit (e.g.
percentage), however it is often used as an easy concentration unit since volumes of solvent and
solutions are easier to measure than weights. Moreover, since the density of dilute aqueous solutions
are close to 1 g/mL, if the volume of a solution in measured in mL (as per definition), then this well
approximates the mass of the solution in grams (making a true relative unit (m/m)).

SAMPLE PROBLEM

How much is the concentration of a solution with Barium chloride in wine containing 13.5 grams of solute in 250
mL of solution.
Given:

Mass (solute) = 13.5grams

Volume (Solution) = 250 mL ( 0.25 L)

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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
Concentration = mass solute
Volume (solution)
Find = concentration
Concentration = 13. 5 grams
0.25 L
= 54 gL

D. MOLARITY - Chemists primarily need the concentration of solutions to be expressed in a way that accounts
for the number of particles that react according to a particular chemical equation. Since percentage
measurements are based on either mass or volume, they are generally not useful for chemical reactions. A
concentration unit based on moles is preferable. The molarity (M) of a solution is the number of moles of
solute dissolved in one liter of solution. To calculate the molarity of a solution, divide the moles of solute by
the volume of the solution expressed in liters:

Molarity (M) = moles of solute

Liters of solution
SAMPLE PROBLEM
What is the molarity of a solution that has 2.3 moles of sodium chloride in 0.45 liters of solution?

Given amount of solute = 2.3 moles

volume of Solution = 0.45 L

MOLARITY = 2.3 moles NaCl

0.45 L

Molarity = 5.1 moles/L (5.1 M)

E. MOLALITY
A final way to express the concentration of a solution is by its molality. The molality (m) of a solution is the moles
of solute divided by the kilograms of solvent. A solution that contains 1.0mol of NaCl dissolved into 1.0kg of
water is a "one-molal" solution of sodium chloride. The symbol for molality is a lower-case m written in italics.
Molality differs from molarity only in the denominator. While molarity is based on the liters of solution, molality
is based on the kilograms of solvent. Concentrations expressed in molality are used when studying properties of
solutions related to vapor pressure and temperature changes. Molality is used because its value does not change
with changes in temperature. The volume of a solution, on the other hand, is slightly dependent upon
temperature.
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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA

What is the molality of 30% by mass of CaCl2 solution?

Given:
%m/m = 30% by mass of CaCl2
Find
Molality
Step 1 = Determine the amount of the components by using a 100 g sample
100 grams of 30% ( 30 grams of CaCl2 and 70 grams of water) Step
2 – Change the mass of solute to number of moles
n = mass (solute)

molar mass (solute)

= 30 grams
110.98 g/mol
= 0.3 moles Step 3 - Change the solvent into kilogram
70 grams of water (using 1kg = 1000 grams)
= 0.07kg

Step 4 – Solve for molality

0.3 moles of solute

0.07 kg of solvent

= 4 mol/kg

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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
F. Mole Fraction - Mole Fraction is the ratio of the number of moles of one component of a solution to the
number of moles of all the components. Mole Fraction is equal to 1.00 (1)

Sample Problem
What is the mole fraction of solution in a 40% by mass of ethanol (C2H6O) solution in water?
Given
%m/m = 40% by mass of ethanol solution in water
Find
Mole fraction of solution = ?

Step 1 – Determine the component of ethanol and water by using 100 gram sample of the solution. Assume
% into grams
100 g ( 40 grams by mass of ethanol and 60 grams of water)
Step 2 – Change the masses of the components to the number of moles
Mole (ethanol) = 40 grams
46.07 g/mol
= 0.9 moles
Mole (water) = 60 grams
18.02 g/mol
= 3 moles Step 3 – Substituting the values, solve for the mole fraction of solute and solvent

Mole fraction ethanol = mole (ethanol)

mole (ethanol + mole (water)

= 0.9 moles
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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
0.9 moles + 3 moles
= 0.2
Mole Fraction (water) = 3 moles
0.9 moles + 3 moles
= 0.8
Mole Fraction (solution) = 0.2

+ 0.8

= 1.0

LEARNING TASKS Solve the following problems

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 CC 102 – QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHEMISTRY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: ERWIN R. ABRENCILLO, PhD
DOHN ARTURO M. TABERNILLA
1. The density of ethanol is 0.789 g/mL. How many grams of ethanol should be mixed with 225 mL of water
to make a 4.5% (v/v) mixture?
2. A certain table wine contains 11.8 % ethyl alcohol by mass. How many grams of ethyl alcohol are in 1500
g of wine?
3. How many moles of Cl- are present in 520 mL of a 1.5 M solution of MnCl3 in water?
4. How many liters of 10.75 M NaOH stock solution are required to produce 2.00 L of 0.25 M NaOH?
5. An iodine solution is prepared by dissolving 5.15 g of iodine crystals (I2) in enough alcohol to make a
volume of 225 mL. Calculate the molarity of iodine in the solution?
6. What is the percent-by-mass, %(m/m), concentration of sucrose in a solution made by dissolving 7.6 g
of sucrose in 83.4 g of water?
7. Rubbing alcohol is commonly used as an antiseptic for small cuts. It is sold as 70% (v/v) solution of
isopropyl alcohol in water. What volume of isopropyl alcohol is used to make 500mL of rubbing alcohol?
8. If 162.35 g aluminum hydroxide are dissolved in 6750 mL of solution, what is the concentration of the
solution?
9. What is the molality of a solution that contains 63.0 g HNO3 in 0.500 kg H2O?
10. What mass of water must be used to dissolve 0.500 kg C2H5OH to prepare a 3.00 m solution?
11. What is the molality of a solution that contains 80.0 g Al2(SO4)3 in 625 g H2O?
12. A solution is prepared by mixing 100.0 g of water, H2O, and 100.0 g of ethanol, C2H5OH. Determine the
mole fractions of each substance.
13. What is the mole fraction of cinnamic acid in a mixture that is 50.0% weight urea in cinnamic acid (urea
= 60.06 g/mol; cinnamic acid = 148.16 g/mol)
14. A solution was made by dissolving 800.0 g of NaOH in 25,200 g of water. Calculate the morality, molality,
and mole fraction of NaOH.

References:

Harvey, D V. (2010). Modern analytical chemistry. De Pauw University

West, D.M. (2015) Fundamentals of analytical chemistry 9th Edition

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