Chapter 4: Reactions in Aqueous Solutions

• Solutions are defined as homogeneous

mixtures of two or more pure substances.

• The solvent is present in greatest abundance.

• All other substances are solutes.

Aqueous
Reactions
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In aqueous solutions (aq)
*solvent is water
*solute can be ionic compounds, aqueous acids,
bases, or molecular compounds

 Water is one of the most common solvent

 It’s a polar molecule

O -
a hydrogen bond

H +
Aqueous

H + Reactions
 “Likes dissolve likes”

A solvent such as water is needed to

dissolve polar solutes such as sugar and
ionic solutes such as NaCl.

A solvent such as hexane (C6H14) is needed

to dissolve nonpolar solutes such as oil or
grease.

Aqueous
Reactions
Dissociation

• When an ionic
substance dissolves
in water, the solvent
pulls the individual
ions from the crystal
and solvates them.
• This process is
called dissociation.
Aqueous
Reactions
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Dissociation

• An electrolyte
is a substances
that dissociates
into ions when
dissolved in
water.

Aqueous
Reactions
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 Solutions

• A nonelectrolyte
may dissolve in
water, but it does
not dissociate into
ions when it does
so.

Aqueous
Reactions
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 Molarity
• Two solutions can contain the same
compounds but be quite different because the
proportions of those compounds are different.
• Molarity is one way to measure the
concentration of a solution:

moles of solute
Molarity (M) =
volume of solution in liters

Aqueous
Reactions
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Mixing a Solution
• To create a solution of a
known molarity, one
weighs out a known mass
(and, therefore, number of
moles) of the solute.
• The solute is added to a
volumetric flask, and
solvent is added to the line
on the neck of the flask.

Aqueous
Reactions
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Exercise Calculating Molarity

Calculate the molarity of a solution made by

dissolving 23.4 g of sodium sulfate (Na2SO4, molar
mass 142.04 g/mol) in enough water to form 125 mL
of solution.
Exercise Calculating Molar Concentrations of Ions

A) What is the molar concentration of each ion

present in a 0.025M aqueous solution of calcium
nitrate? B) How many Ca2+ ions are present in
0.02 L of that solution?
Exercise Using Molarity to Calculate Grams of Solute

How many grams of Na2SO4 (Molar mass: 142.04 g/mol)

are required to make 0.350 L of 0.500M Na2SO4?
 Dilution
• One can also dilute a more concentrated
solution by:

Aqueous
Reactions
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 Dilution
The molarity of the new solution can be determined
from the equation

M1  V 1 = M2  V2,

where M1 and M2 are the molarity of the concentrated

and dilute solutions, respectively, and V1 and V2 are
the volumes of the two respective solutions.

Aqueous
Reactions
© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Exercise Preparing a Solution by Dilution
How many milliliters of 3.0M H2SO4 are needed
to make 450 mL of 0.10M H2SO4?

Chemistry, The Central Science, 12th Edition © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Theodore L. Brown; H. Eugene LeMay, Jr.; Bruce E. Bursten; Catherine J. Murphy; and Patrick Woodward
 Using Molarities in
Stoichiometric Calculations

Aqueous
Reactions
© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Exercise Using Mass Relations in a Neutralization Reaction

How many grams of Ca(OH)2 (Molar

mass: 74.093 g/mol)are needed to neutralize 25.0 mL of
0.100M HNO3?
 Titration
Titration is
an analytical
technique in
which one
can
calculate the
concentratio
n of a solute
in a solution.

Aqueous
Reactions
© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Exercise Determining Solution Concentration by an
Acid–Base Titration
One commercial method used to peel potatoes is
to soak them in a NaOH solution for a short time,
then remove them and spray off the peel. The
NaOH concentration is normally 3 to 6 M, and the
solution must be analyzed periodically. In one
such analysis, 45.7 mL of 0.500M H2SO4 is
required to neutralize 20.0 mL of NaOH solution.
What is the concentration of the NaOH solution?
Exercise Determining the Quantity of Solute by Titration

The quantity of Cl– in a municipal water supply is determined by

titrating the sample with Ag+. The precipitation reaction taking
place during the titration is
Ag+(aq) + Cl–(aq) AgCl(s)

The end point in this type of titration is marked by a change in

color of a special type of indicator. (a) How many grams of
chloride ion are in a sample of the water if 20.2 mL of 0.100 M Ag+
is needed to react with all the chloride in the sample? (b) If the
sample has a mass of 10.0 g, what percent Cl– does it contain?