Determining the Unknown Concentration of Nitric Acid
What is the unknown concentration of nitric acid?
Given that 35.0 mL of 0.255 M nitric acid is added to 45.0 ml of nitric acid of unknown concentration, and the final solution is 0.255 M.
Answer:
The unknown concentration of nitric acid is 0.374 M.
By using the concept of dilution and equating the moles of nitric acid in the initial and final solutions, we can find the unknown concentration to be 0.374 M.
To determine the unknown concentration of nitric acid, we can use the concept of dilution. The moles of nitric acid in the initial solution can be calculated using the given volume and concentration. Then, using the final volume and concentration, we can find the moles of nitric acid in the final solution. Equating the moles of nitric acid in the initial and final solutions, we can solve for the unknown concentration.
Let's calculate the moles of nitric acid in the initial solution:
Moles of HNO3 = Volume * Concentration
= (35.0 mL * 0.255 M)
= 8.925 mmol of HNO3
Now, let's calculate the moles of nitric acid in the final solution:
Moles of HNO3 = Volume * Concentration
= (35.0 mL + 45.0 mL) * 0.255 M
= 23.85 mmol of HNO3
Since the moles of nitric acid are the same in both the initial and final solutions, we can write the equation:
8.925 mmol = 23.85 mmol * Unknown Concentration
Unknown Concentration = 8.925 mmol / 23.85 mmol
Unknown Concentration = 0.374 M