2.2.1 - Concentration of a Solution
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Interactive Audio Lesson
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Understanding Solutions
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Today, we're discussing solutions—can anyone tell me what a solution is?
A solution is a mixture of two or more substances.
That's right! A solution consists of a solute, which is dissolved, and a solvent, which does the dissolving. Can anyone give me an example?
Like saltwater? Salt is the solute and water is the solvent.
Exactly! Remember, solutions are homogeneous mixtures, meaning the composition is uniform throughout. Let's move on and discuss how we express the concentration of these solutions.
Types of Concentration
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Now that we understand what a solution is, let’s look at how we express concentration. We have mass by mass, mass by volume, and volume by volume percentage. Who wants to explain mass by mass percentage?
It measures the mass of the solute relative to the mass of the entire solution.
Good job! The formula for that is \[ \text{Mass \: by \: Mass \: ext{Percentage}} = \left( \frac{\text{Mass of Solute}}{\text{Mass of Solution}} \right) \times 100 \]. Can anyone think of a situation where we might use mass by volume percentage?
Maybe when calculating a saline solution for a medical use?
Great example! Now let’s summarize these key concepts before we move on.
Calculating Concentration
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Let's practice calculating concentration! If we have 40g of salt in 360g of total solution, what is the mass by mass percentage?
Using the formula, it would be \[ \left( \frac{40}{360} \right) \times 100 = 11.1\% \].
Correct! This calculation is essential for understanding the strength of a solution. Now, can anyone explain what a saturated solution is?
It's when no more solute can dissolve in the solvent.
Exactly! A saturated solution indicates the maximum concentration of solute that can be present at a given temperature.
Introduction & Overview
Read summaries of the section's main ideas at different levels of detail.
Quick Overview
Standard
Concentration refers to the amount of solute dissolved in a given amount of solvent or solution. This section covers the different ways to express concentration, including mass by mass, mass by volume, and volume by volume percentage, highlighting the significance of solubility in understanding solutions.
Detailed
Concentration of a Solution
The concentration of a solution is a key concept in chemistry that describes the amount of solute present in a given volume or mass of solvent or solution. Understanding concentration allows us to effectively mix substances and comprehend how solutions interact in chemical processes.
Key Points Discussed:
-
What is a Solution?
A solution is a homogeneous mixture formed when one substance dissolves in another. It typically consists of a solute (the substance that is dissolved) and a solvent (the substance that does the dissolving). - Types of Concentration:
- Mass by Mass Percentage: Measures the mass of solute in relation to the total mass of the solution.
Formula:
\[ \text{Mass \: by \: Mass \: ext{Percentage}} = \left( \frac{\text{Mass of Solute}}{\text{Mass of Solution}} \right) \times 100 \] - Mass by Volume Percentage: Expresses how much mass of solute is present in a specified volume of solution.
Formula:
\[ \text{Mass \: by \: Volume \: ext{Percentage}} = \left( \frac{\text{Mass of Solute}}{\text{Volume of Solution}} \right) \times 100 \] -
Volume by Volume Percentage: Used primarily for liquid solutions, reflecting how much volume of solute is present in a certain volume of solution.
Formula:
\[ \text{Volume \: by \: Volume \: ext{Percentage}} = \left( \frac{\text{Volume of Solute}}{\text{Volume of Solution}} \right) \times 100 \] -
Examples of Concentration Calculation:
Examples illustrate how to calculate mass percentage for various solutions, reinforcing the understanding of solute and solvent roles. - Saturated Solutions: When no more solute can dissolve in the solution, it reaches saturation, crucial for determining the amount of solute and solvent in other applications.
By exploring concentration, we gain insights into various types of solutions, their preparation, and their characteristics, which is essential for practical applications in science and industry.
Youtube Videos
Audio Book
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Definition of a Solution
Chapter 1 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances. You come across various types of solutions in your daily life. Lemonade, soda water, etc., are all examples of solutions.
Detailed Explanation
A solution is a type of mixture where two or more substances are combined in such a way that they become uniform throughout. This means that the mixture looks the same no matter where you take a sample from it. In everyday life, many drinks like lemonade and soda water are solutions because they contain dissolved substances that mix evenly in the liquid.
Examples & Analogies
Think of making a flavored drink by mixing powdered drink mix (like lemonade powder) with water. Once you stir it well, the powder dissolves completely, and the drink looks the same throughout, which shows that it's a solution.
Components of a Solution
Chapter 2 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
A solution has a solvent and a solute as its components. The component of the solution that dissolves the other component in it (usually the component present in larger amount) is called the solvent. The component of the solution that is dissolved in the solvent (usually present in lesser quantity) is called the solute.
Detailed Explanation
In a solution, there are two main parts: the solute and the solvent. The solvent is the substance that does the dissolving and is usually present in a larger amount. For example, when making a saltwater solution, water is the solvent. The substance that is being dissolved is called the solute. In this case, salt would be the solute because it is mixed into the water.
Examples & Analogies
When you make sweet tea, the water is the solvent. The sugar you add is the solute. You can think of the sugar as the 'flavor booster' that mixes in with the water.
Types of Solutions
Chapter 3 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Depending upon the amount of solute present in a solution, it can be called dilute, concentrated, or saturated. Dilute and concentrated are comparative terms.
Detailed Explanation
Solutions can vary based on how much solute is dissolved in the solvent. If there is a small amount of solute compared to the solvent, the solution is referred to as dilute. Conversely, a solution with a high amount of solute is termed concentrated. A saturated solution is one where no more solute can dissolve at a given temperature, meaning it has reached its maximum solubility.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine making lemonade again; if you only add a teaspoon of sugar to a glass of water, it will taste a bit sweet, which means it is a dilute solution. If you keep adding more sugar until you can no longer dissolve it even after stirring, then you have made a saturated solution.
Properties of Solutions
Chapter 4 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
A solution is a homogeneous mixture. The particles of a solution are smaller than 1 nm (10^-9 meter) in diameter. As such, they cannot be seen with the naked eye and do not scatter light, so the path of light is not visible in a solution.
Detailed Explanation
Solutions are classified as homogeneous because, on a microscopic level, the solute particles are evenly dispersed throughout the solvent. The particles are so small that they cannot be seen without a powerful microscope, and because of their small size, they do not scatter light. As a result, if you shine a light through a solution, you won’t see the beam, which distinguishes solutions from suspensions.
Examples & Analogies
Think about sugar water again. When you mix sugar in water completely, it becomes clear, and you wouldn't know the sugar is there just by looking at it. If you had a mixture of sand and water, however, you would see the sand particles sinking, which shows that it is not a solution.
Concentration of a Solution
Chapter 5 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
The concentration of a solution is the amount (mass or volume) of solute present in a given amount (mass or volume) of solution. There are various ways of expressing the concentration of a solution, but here we learn only three methods: (i) Mass by mass percentage of a solution; (ii) Mass by volume percentage of a solution; (iii) Volume by volume percentage of a solution.
Detailed Explanation
Concentration tells us how strong a solution is, and it's expressed in different ways. For mass by mass percentage, it shows what fraction of the total mass of the solution is from the solute. Mass by volume percentage tells how much mass of the solute is present in a specific volume of solution. Volume by volume percentage indicates how much volume of one component is in a certain volume of solution. Each formula gives you an idea of how much solute is mixed into the solution.
Examples & Analogies
If you think about cooking, when you measure salt to mix into a pot of soup, you might decide to add a tablespoon of salt to one liter of soup. If you want to increase the flavor without changing the soup's texture much, you’d focus on the concentration, making sure you know how much salt (solute) is enough for the volume you have.
Key Concepts
-
Concentration: Represents how much solute is present in a solution relative to the solvent.
-
Mass by Mass Percentage: A common way to express concentration, calculated using the total mass of the solution.
-
Mass by Volume/Volume by Volume: Other methods used to describe the concentration of solutions, particularly in liquid states.
Examples & Applications
A 10% saline solution means you have 10 grams of salt in 90 mL of water.
Air is a mixture with various gases, but we can quantify how much of that is oxygen or nitrogen.
Memory Aids
Interactive tools to help you remember key concepts
Rhymes
To find concentration, keep it in sight, solute and solvent both unite!
Stories
Imagine a busy chef who can never find his salt! He learns to measure concentration so that every dish has just the right taste, not a pinch less nor more!
Memory Tools
Silly Students Sing: S for Solute, S for Solution, and S for Saturated!
Acronyms
C.S.S.
Concentration
Solute
Saturation.
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Solution
A homogeneous mixture composed of a solute dissolved in a solvent.
- Concentration
The amount of solute in a given amount of solution or solvent.
- Solute
The substance that is dissolved in a solvent.
- Solvent
The substance that dissolves the solute, typically present in a larger amount.
- Mass by Mass Percentage
A way of expressing concentration as the mass of solute divided by the total mass of the solution.
- Mass by Volume Percentage
A way to express concentration as the mass of solute per volume of the solution.
- Volume by Volume Percentage
A measure of concentration expressed as the volume of solute per volume of the solution.
Reference links
Supplementary resources to enhance your learning experience.