Molar Concentration The most useful unit of concentration in chemistry is molar concentration. Molar concentration is the number of moles of solute in 1 L of solution. Notice that L is used rather than mL. Molar concentration is also known as molarity.
Molarity (mol/L) = amount of solute (mol) volume of solution (L) The formula can be shortened to: C = n/V
Molar concentration is particularly useful to chemists because it is related to the number of particles in a solution. If you are given the molar concentration and the volume of solution, you can calculate the amount of dissolved solute in moles. This allows you to solve problems involving quantities in chemical reactions.
Calculating Molar Concentration A saline solution contains 0.90 g of sodium chloride (NaCl), dissolved in 100 mL of solution. What is the molar concentration? Find the molar mass of NaCl Using molar mass and given amount, determine moles Convert the volume to L Use the molar concentration formula
Molar Mass of NaCl = g/mol Determine moles 0.90 g x 1 mol=0.015 mol g Convert Volume 100 mL x L = L 1000 mL Molar concentration mol/0.100 L = 0.15 mol/L
Using Molar Concentration to Find Mass At 20 o C, a saturated solution of calcium sulfate (CaSO 4 ) has a concentration of mol/L. A student takes 65 mL of this solution and evaporates it. What mass (in g) is left in the evaporating dish?
Convert volume from mL to L. Rearrange formula to solve for amount of solute Determine molar mass of calcium sulfate Use the molar mass to find mass of CaSO 4
Convert volume from mL to L 65 mL x 1 L = L 1000 mL Rearrange formula to solve for amount of solute Molar concentration = moles of solute volume of solution mol of solute = (molar concentration)(volume of soln) mol of solute = ( mol/L)(0.065 L) = mol
Determine molar mass of calcium sulfate ( ) = g/mol Use the molar mass to find mass of CaSO mol x g= 0.13 g 1 mol