Lab Three

Weighing and Preparation of

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Introduction:
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In
mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. An aqueous solution in
which the solvent is water.

• Concentration is the measure of how much of a given substance (solute) there is mixed
with another substance (solvent/water).
This can apply to any sort of chemical mixture, but most frequently the concept is limited to
homogeneous solutions, where it refers to the amount of solute in a substance.
Mass can be determined at a precision of ~0.1 mg on a routine basis with an analytical
balance.
- Both solids and liquids are easily quantified by weighing.
Unites are used for measuring concentration (C):

• Molar Concentration (Molarity): is the most popular one, and it requires the expression of
substance in moles and it reflects the number of moles of a given substance (n) per liter of
solution. The mole (symbol: mol) is the SI basic unit that measures an amount of substance.
- C= n/V )mol/L( {1}
Following the SI system of units, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the United
States authority on measurement, considers the term molarity and the unit symbol M to be
obsolete, and suggests instead the 'amount-of-substance concentration' (c) with units mol/m3
or other units used alongside the SI such as mol/l. This recommendation has not been generally
implemented in academia yet.
When discussing the molarity of very small concentrations, such as in much pharmacological
research, molarity is sometimes expressed in milli-molars (mmol/l) or micro molars (1 millionth
of a molar).
- Preparation of a solution of known molarity involves adding an accurately weighed
amount of solute to a volumetric flask, adding some solvent to dissolve it, then
adding more solvent to fill to the volume mark.
- The molar mass (M) of a molecule is the mass of Avogadro constant (NA) of such molecules.
The molar mass of a molecule is equal to the sum of the atomic masses of its constituting
atoms.
o For example, table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl). The atomic mass of sodium,
given in the table is 22.990 g/mol, and of chlorine is 35.453 g/mol. The molar mass
of NaCl is, therefore: M (NaCl)=22.990 +35.453= 58.443 g/mol.

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• The molar mass (M) of a molecule, multiplied by the number of moles n, is equal to the
total mass m (g) of the molecules:
• m=n x M {2}
- Molal concentration, (Molality) denotes the number of moles of a given substance (n) per
kilogram of solvent (ms)(not solution). The SI unit for molality is mol/kg.
- mass percentage (denote substance in a mixture as a percentage of the mass of the entire
mixture); mass/volume percentage, mass/mass percentage.
In common chemical practice, one frequently needs to prepare a new solution by dilution of the
stock solution. This can be done following the mixing rule.

• C0 x V0=C1X V1 [3]
Where V0 is a volume of the stock solution at concentration C0, and V1 is a required volume of a
final solution with its final concentration C1.
Objectives:

• Prepare 50 ml of NaCl solutions (A) at concentration 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 mol/L respectively.
• Dilute the prepared solution (0.5 mol/L) to obtain 25 ml of NaCl solutions (B) at final
concentration 0.024, 0.048 and 0.14 mol/l, respectively.
Laboratory Procedure:
Preparation of the solution A (fill Table 1):
1. Calculate the mass of NaCl (mtheor) required for the preparation of solutions A.
2. We will learn how to prepare solution using the method of differential weighing:

• Using the analytical balance, determine the mass of empty, dry weighing dish (m0).
• Calculate the weight of the dish plus NaCl, and fill the dish with NaCl in an amount
approximately equal to the calculated mass. Determine the mass of the dish plus NaCI
(m0Nacl).
• Carefully transfer the NaCl from the weighing dish to the volumetric flask, using the
funnel.
o Do not lose any substance.
o Wash carefully the funnel with a small volume of distilled water, to dissolve NaCl.
o When the funnel is clean, and the NaCl is dissolved, carefully fill the volumetric
flask up to the 50 ml mark.
o Calculate the mass of NaCl, mNacl.
3. Calculate the molar concentration of the prepared NaCl solution (CNaCl).

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Preparation of the solution B (fill Table 2):
4. Calculate the volume of the solution A (VA) required for the preparation of the solutions B,
using the equation [3], and the concentration of A.
5. Prepare the solution B, following the procedure of mixing described above.
6. Determine the number of moles of NaCl in the solution B, using the eq. [1] nNaClB.

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