• Example 14.3.

1
• A purchased standard solution of sodium hydroxide had a concentration of 1.0 M.
How would you prepare 100 ml of a 0.1 M solution to do a titration of an acid?
o The required concentration is 1/10th of the original solution.
o To make 1liter (1000 ml) of the diluted solution you would take 100 ml of the
original solution and mix with 900 ml of water.
o The total volume is 1liter but only 1/10th as much sodium hydroxide in this diluted
solution, so the concentration is 1/10th, 0.1 M.
o To make only 100 ml of the diluted solution you would dilute 10ml by mixing it
with 90 ml of water.
o How to do this in practice is described at the end of Example 14.3.2 below and a
variety of accurate/'less inaccurate' apparatus is illustrated above.
• Example 14.3.2
o Given a stock solution of sodium chloride of 2.0 M, how would you prepare
250ml of a 0.5 M solution?
o The required 0.5 M concentration is 1/4 of the original concentration of 2.0 M.
o To make 1liter (1000 ml) of a 0.5 M solution you would take 250 ml of the stock
solution and add 750 ml of water.
o Therefore to make only 250 ml of solution you would mix 1/4 of the above
quantities i.e. mix 62.5 ml of the stock solution plus 187.5 ml of pure water.
o This can be done, but rather inaccurately, using measuring cylinders and stirring
to mix the two liquids in a beaker.
o It can be done much more accurately by using a burette or a pipette to measure
out the stock solution directly into a 250 ml graduated-volumetric flask.
o Topping up the flask to the calibration mark (meniscus should rest on it). Then
putting on the stopper and thoroughly mixing it by carefully shaking the flask
holding the stopper on at the same time!
• Example 14.3.3

• In the analytical laboratory of a pharmaceutical

company a laboratory assistant was asked to make 250 ml of a 2.0 x 10-2 mol dm-
3
(0.02M) solution of paracetamol (C8H9NO2).
o (a) How much paracetamol should the laboratory assistant weigh out to
make up the solution? Atomic masses: C = 12, H = 1, N = 14, O = 16
 method (i): Mr(paracetamol) = (8 x 12) + (9 x 1) + (1 x 14) + (2 x 16)
= 151
 1000 ml of 1.0 molar solution needs 151g
 1000 ml of 2.0 x 10-2 molar solution needs 151 x 2.0 x 10-2/1 = 3.02g
 (this is just scaling down the ratio from 151g : 1.0 molar)
 Therefore to make 250 ml of the solution you need 3.02 x 250/1000
= 0.755 g
o method (ii): Mr(paracetamol) = 151
 moles = molarity x volume in liter
 mol paracetamol required = 2.0 x 10-2 x 250/1000 = 5.0 x 10-3 (0.005)
 mass = mol x Mr = 5.0 x 10-3 x 151 = 0.755 g
 o (b) Using the 2.0 x 10-2 molar stock solution, what volume of it should be
added to a 100ml volumetric flask to make 100 ml of a 5.0 x 10-3 mol dm-
3
(0.005M) solution?
 The ratio of the two molarities is stock/diluted = 2.0 x 10-2/5.0 x 10-3 = 4.0
or a dilution factor of 1/4 (0.02/0.005).
 Therefore 25 ml (1/4 of 100) of the 2.0 x 10-2 molar solution is added to
the 100 ml volumetric flask prior to making it up to 100 ml with pure water
to give the 5.0 x 10-3 mol dm-3 (0.005M) solution.
• Example 14.3.4
o You are given a stock solution of concentrated ammonia with a
concentration of 17.9 mol dm-3 (conc. ammonia! ~18M!)
o (a) What volume of the conc. ammonia is needed to make up 1liter of 1.0
molar ammonia solution?
 Method (i) using simple ratio argument.
 The conc. ammonia must be diluted by a factor of 1.0/17.9 to give a 1.0
molar solution.
 Therefore you need 1.0/17.9 x 1000 ml = 55.9 ml of the conc. ammonia.
 If the 55.9 ml of conc. ammonia is diluted to 1000 ml (1 liter) you will
have a 1.0 mol dm-3 (1M) solution.
 Method (ii) using molar concentration equation - a much better
method that suits any kind of dilution calculation involving molarity.
 molarity = mol / volume (liter), therefore mol = molarity x
volume in liter
 Therefore you need 1.0 x 1.0 = 1.0 moles of ammonia to make 1
liter of 1.5M dilute ammonia.
 Volume = mol / molarity
 Volume of conc. ammonia needed = 1.0 / 17.9 = 0.0559
liter (55.9 ml) of the conc. ammonia is required,
 and, if this is diluted to 1 liter, it will give you a 1.0 mol dm-3 dilute
ammonia solution.
o (b) What volume of conc. ammonia is needed to make 5 liter of a 1.5 molar
solution?
 molarity = mol / volume (liter), therefore mol = molarity x volume in liter
 Therefore you need 1.5 x 5 = 7.5 moles of ammonia to make 5 liter of
1.5M dilute ammonia.
 Volume (of conc. ammonia needed) = mol / molarity
 Volume of conc. ammonia needed = 7.5 / 17.9 = 0.419 liter (419 ml) of
the conc. ammonia is required,
 and, if this is diluted to 5 liter, it will give you a 1.5 mol dm-3 dilute
ammonia solution.
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