Cebu Doctors’ University

College of Arts and Sciences

Physical Sciences Department

MODULE 2.1 – REVIEW ON MOLE, MOLAR MASS, AND SOLUTIONS

Compiled by: Joselito R. Tumulak Jr., RChT, MS (cand.)
Analytical Chemistry Professor

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Calculate the number of moles from the mass of a substance and vice versa, and explain the use
of the mole;
2. Describe the components of an aqueous solution; and
3. Determine the concentration of solutions using different concentration units.

UNIT OUTLINE
Topic Page
I. The Mole and the Molar Mass
A. The Mole
1
B. The Molar Mass
C. Interconversion of Mass and Mole
II. Solutions and their Concentrations
A. The Composition of Aqueous Solutions
B. The Concentration of Solutions
a. Molarity 3
b. Percent Concentration
c. Parts per Million (ppm) and Parts per Billion (ppb)
C. Density and Specific Gravity of Solutions

I. THE MOLE AND THE MOLAR MASS

A. The Mole

 Even the smallest samples we deal with in the laboratory contain enormous numbers of atoms, ions,
or molecules. In order to describe such large numbers of atoms or molecules, chemists have
developed a counting unit. This counting unit is the mole (abbreviated as mol). The mole is
comparable to a counting unit we use on a regular basis, like the dozen. Whatever object you are
counting, there will always be 12 of that object in a dozen.
 One mole is the amount of matter that contains
as many objects (atoms, molecules, or
whatever other objects we are considering) as
the number of atoms in exactly 12 g of
isotopically pure 12C. From experiments,
scientists have determined this number to be
6.022 x 1023, which is known as the
Avogadro’s number.
 The picture at the side shows 1 mole of each
substance, which means that each substances
contains molecules that are approximately
equal to the Avogadro’s number.

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B. The Molar Mass

 A dozen is the same number, 12, whether we have a dozen eggs or a dozen elephants. Clearly,
however, a dozen eggs does not have the same mass as a dozen elephants. Similarly, a mole is
always the same number (6.022 x 1023), but 1-mol samples of different substances have different
masses.
 The atomic weight of an element in atomic mass units is numerically equal to the mass in grams
of 1 mol of that element. For example:
o Cl has an atomic weight of 35.5 amu, therefore 1 mol Cl has a mass of 35.5 g.
o Au has an atomic weight of 197 amu, therefore 1 mol Au has a mass of 197 g.
 For compounds, 1 mole is equivalent to its molar mass. The molar mass is numerically equivalent
to the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms present in a compound, and has the unit
g/mol.

Example:
1. What is the molar mass of formaldehyde (CH2O)?
Solution:
1 C atom = 1(12 amu) = 12 amu
2 H atoms = 2 (1 amu) = 2 amu
1 O atom = 1(16 amu) = 16 amu
30 amu
Therefore, the molar mass of formaldehyde is 30 g/mol. (1 mole of formaldehyde
weighs 30 g.

2. What is the molar mass of sodium thiosulfate (Na 2S2O3)?

Solution:
2 Na atoms = 2(23 amu) = 46 amu
2 S atoms = 2(32 amu) = 64 amu
3 O atoms = 3(16 amu) = 48 amu
158 amu
Therefore, the molar mass of sodium thiosulfate is 158 g/mol. (1 mole of sodium
thiosulfate weighs 30 g.

C. Interconversion of Mass and Mole

 Conversions of mass to moles and of moles to mass are frequently encountered in calculations in
analytical chemistry the mole concept. These calculations are simplified using dimensional analysis,
where the molar mass is used as the conversion factor. This is illustrated by the examples below:

Examples:
1. Calculate the number of moles in 5.380 g formaldehyde (CH 2O).
Solution:
i. Calculate for the molar mass of the compound. This was accomplished in the
example above. The molar mass of formaldehyde is 30 g/mol.
ii. Use the molar as the conversion factor:
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝐻2 𝑂
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝐻2 𝑂 = 5.380 𝑔 𝐶𝐻2 𝑂 × = 0.1793 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝐻2 𝑂
30 𝑔 𝐶𝐻2 𝑂

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 2. Calculate the mass, in grams, of 0.433 mol of calcium nitrate (CaNO3).
Solution:
i. Calculate for the molar mass of the compound.

1 atom of Ca = 1(40 amu) = 40 amu

1 atom of N = 1(14 amu) = 14 amu
3 atoms of O = 3(16 amu) = 48 amu
102 amu = 102 g/mol
ii. Use this molar mass a conversion factor:
102 𝑔 𝐶𝑎𝑁𝑂3
𝑔 𝐶𝑎𝑁𝑂3 = 0.433 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑁𝑂3 × = 44.2 𝑔 𝐶𝑎𝑁𝑂3
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑁𝑂3

3. Calculate the mass, in grams, of Na + (23 g/mol) in 25.0 g Na2SO4 (142 g/mol)?
i. Find the number of moles in the given mass of Na2SO4.
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 = 25 𝑔 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 × = 0.176 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4
142 𝑔 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4
ii. The formula tells us that 1 mole of Na 2SO4 contains 2 moles of Na+. We can
use this relationship to obtain the number of moles of Na+ present.
2 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎+
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎+ = 0.176 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 × = 0.352 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎 +
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4
iii. Use the number molar mass of Na + to find the mass of Na+:
23 𝑔 𝑁𝑎+
𝑔 𝑁𝑎 + = 0.352 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎+ × = 8.10 𝑔 𝑁𝑎+
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎+

We can also combine these calculations in one dimensional analysis:

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 2 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎+ 23 𝑔 𝑁𝑎+
𝑔 𝑁𝑎 + = 25 𝑔 25 𝑔 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 × × ×
142 𝑔 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎2 𝑆𝑂4 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁𝑎+
+
= 8.10 𝑔 𝑁𝑎

II. SOLUTIONS AND THEIR CONCENTRATIONS

A. The Composition of Aqueous Solution

 A solution is a homogenous mixture of two or more substances whose composition may be varied
within certain limits. It comprises one substance (called the solute) that is dissolved in another
substance (called the solvent). The solute is the substance that is present in the smaller amount.
The solvent is the substance that is present in the larger amount.
 The majority of chemical reactions encountered in analytical chemistry take place in aqueous
solutions, those whose solvent is water. Because water is polar, the solutes that can dissolved in
it are ionic compounds and polar compounds. Ionic compounds form electrolytes when they
dissolve in water, while polar compounds do not.

B. Describing the Concentration of Solutions

 Concentration is a general measurement unit stating the amount of solute present in a known
amount of solution.
 The concentration of an aqueous solution is expressed in different concentration units as discussed
in the next page.

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 1. Molarity
- Defined as the number of moles solute per L of solution, i.e
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝐿 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
- The unit of molarity is molar, symbolized by M, which has the dimensions of mol/L.

Examples:
1. Calculate the molar concentration of ethanol (C2H5OH) in an aqueous solution that
contains 2.30 g of C2H5OH in 3.50 L of solution.
Solution:
i. Calculate the molar mass of ethanol:

2 atoms C = 2 (12 amu) = 24 amu

6 atoms H = 6 (1 amu) = 6 amu
1 atom O = 1 (16 amu) = 16 amu
46 amu = 46 g/mol
ii. Calculate the number of moles C2H5OH in the given mass:
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻
𝑚𝑜𝑙. 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻 = 2.30 𝑔 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻 × = 0.05 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻
46 𝑔 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻
iii. Calculate the molarity by dividing the number of moles C 2H5OH by the
volume, i.e.:
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻
2.30 𝑔 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻 × 𝑚𝑜𝑙
46 𝑔 𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 = = 0.0143 = 0.0143 𝑀
3.5 𝐿 𝐿

2. Describe the preparation of 2.00 L of 0.108 M BaCl2 (208 g/mol).

i. Calculate the number of moles BaCl2 by multiplying the given molarity by the
desired volume:
0.108 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2
𝑚𝑜𝑙. 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2 = 2.00 𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 × = 0.216 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2
𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
ii. Calculate the mass of BaCl2 from the calculated number of moles:
208 𝑔 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2
𝑔 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2 = 0.216 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2 × = 44.9 𝑔
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝑙2

Therefore, to prepare 2.00 L of 0.108 M BaCl2, dissolve 44.9 g BaCl2 inw ater
and dilute to 2.00 L.

2. Percent Composition
- Defined in terms of percent (parts per hundred), and can be expressed in three
common methods:
𝑤 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 ( ) = × 100%
𝑤 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑣 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 ( ) = × 100%
𝑣 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑤 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒, 𝑔
𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡/𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 ( ) = × 100%
𝑣 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑚𝐿

- Note that the denominator in each of these expressions is the mass or volume of
solution rather than mass or volume of solvent. Note also that the first two
expressions do not depend on the units used for weight (mass) as long as the same
units are used in the numerator and the denominator. In the third expression, units
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 must be defined because the numerator and denominator have different units that do
not cancel. Of the three expressions, only weight percent has the advantage of being
temperature independent.
- Weight percent is often used to express the concentration of commercial aqueous
reagents. For example, nitric acid is sold as a 70% (w/w) solution, meaning that the
reagent contains 70 g of HNO3 per 100 g of solution.

3. Parts per million and Parts per billion

- For very dilute solutions, we use parts per million expressed as:
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑝𝑚 = × 106 𝑝𝑝𝑚
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
- For even more dilute solutions, parts per billion is used:
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑝𝑏 = × 109 𝑝𝑝𝑏
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
- The units of mass in the numerator and denominator must agree so that they cancel.
- A handy rule in calculating parts per million is to remember that for dilute aqueous
solutions whose densities are approximately 1.00 g/mL, 1 ppm = 1.00 mg/L, i.e.
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑚𝑔)
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑝𝑚 = 𝑝𝑝𝑚
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)
- Parts per billion can also be expressed as 1 ppb = 1 μg/L, i.e.
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝜇𝑔)
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑝𝑏 = 𝑝𝑝𝑏
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)

Example:
1. What is the molar concentration of K + in a solution that contains 63.3 ppm of
K3Fe(CN)6 (329.3 g/mol)?
Solution:
63.3 ppm K3Fe(CN)6 = 63.3 mg K3Fe(CN)6/L solution

i. Calculate the molarity of K3Fe(CN)6 from its ppm value:

𝑚𝑜𝑙. 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6 63.3 𝑚𝑔 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6 1 𝑔 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6

= × ×
𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 1000 𝑚𝑔 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6 329.3 𝑔 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6
0.0001922 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6
=
𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

i. Calculate the molarity of K+ from the molarity of K3Fe(CN)6, with the

knowledge that 1 mole K3Fe(CN)6 contains 3 moles K+:
𝑚𝑜𝑙. 𝐾 + 0.0001922 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6 3 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐾 +
= ×
𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐾3 Fe(𝐶𝑁)6
0.000577 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐾 +
= = 0.000577 𝑀 𝐾 +
𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

C. Density and Specific Gravity of Solutions

 Density and specific gravity are related terms often found in the analytical literature. The density
of a substance is its mass per unit volume, and its specific gravity is the ratio of its mass to the
mass of an equal volume of water at 4°C.
 Density has units of kilograms per liter or grams per milliliter in the metric system. Specific gravity
is dimensionless and so is not tied to any particular system of units. Since the density of water is

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 approximately 1.00 g/mL and since we use the metric system throughout this text, we use density
and specific gravity interchangeably.

Example:
1. Calculate the molar concentration of HNO 3 (63.0 g/mol) in a solution that has a specific
gravity of 1.42 and is 70.5% HNO3 (w/w).
Solution:
i. Calculate the mass of acid per liter of concentrated solution from specific
gravity and its wt.%:

𝑔 𝐻𝑁𝑂3 1.42 𝑘𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 1000 𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 70.5 𝑔 𝐻𝑁𝑂3

= × ×
𝐿 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐿 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑘𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 100 𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡
1001 𝑔 𝐻𝑁𝑂3
=
𝐿 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡
ii. Find the molarity:

1001 𝑔 𝐻𝑁𝑂3 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻𝑁𝑂3 15.9 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻𝑁𝑂3

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐻𝑁𝑂3 = × = ≈ 16 𝑀 𝐻𝑁𝑂3
𝐿 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 63.0 𝑔 𝐻𝑁𝑂3 𝐿 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡

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