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How to calculate the Molarity of a

Solution?
Molarity is used to measure the concentration of a solution. It is used to
calculate the volume of solvent or the amount of solute. Molarity is the
concentration of a solution or substance in solution, measured as the number
of moles of solute per liter of solution. It is denoted by the upper case letter
“M.” The smallest particle of matter which can take part in a chemical reaction
is called the atom. Molecule is formed by two or more atoms tightly bound
together. Mole is a fundamental SI unit. It is used to measure the amount of
substance. A mole of any substance (atom, molecule, etc.) is 6.022 ×
1023 molecules. Molecular mass is defined as the sum of atomic masses of all
atoms in a molecule of a substance. It is expressed in the atomic mass unit
(u). For example,
2H+ + O2 ⇢ H2O = 1×2 +16 = 18u
Dilution is the process by which a solution is made by the addition of more
solvent to make it less concentrated. The concentration of a solution is the
amount of solute in a solution. There is a difference between molarity and
molar mass, molarity is the number of moles of solute per liter of solution,
whereas molar mass is the number of grams per mole of some substance.

Calculating Molarity

Molarity is defined as the number of moles of solute that is dissolved in one

liter of solution. It is also known as molar concentration and is denoted by the
letter “M.”
Molarity Formula
M = n/v
Where,

 M denotes the molar concentration

 n denotes the number of moles
 v denotes the total volume of solution in liters
To calculate the molarity of a solution by using the above formula,
1. To find the molarity of a solution, we divide the number of moles of solute
by the total volume of liters of solution.
2. When the amount of solute is given in grams, then we must first find or
calculate the number of moles of solute.
3. To find the number of moles of solute, we can calculate by dividing by the
solute molecular mass. So, when it is divided by total volume, the answer
is molarity.
4. The volume of specific mass in given grams of solution can also be
calculated by the process by finding the number of moles of solute as
above. Then divided with molarity given to find the total volume of the
solution.
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Sample Problems

Problem 1: What is the molarity of a solution by dissolving 42.5g of H2SO4 in 1

liter of the solution?
Solution:
Given mass = 42.5g, volume of solution = 1L
By using the formula,
M = n/v
But, we must find number of moles,
n = mass given/molecular mass
n = 42.5g/98.076 g mol-1
n = 0.43 moles
Now divide the no. of moles with a total volume of solution.
M = 0.43 moles/1L
M = 0.43
The molarity of H2SO4 is 0.43M.
Problem 2: If seawater contains 40g of sodium chloride per 500ml, then what is
the molarity of a solution?
Solution:
Given mass = 40g, volume of solution = 500mL
By using the formula,
M = n/v
but, we must find number of moles
n = mass given/molecular mass
n = 40g/58.443 g mol-1
n = 0.68 moles
Now divide the no. of moles with the total volume of solution,
Convert ml to L
M = 0.68g/0.500L
M = 1.36
The molarity of NaCl is 1.36M.
Problem 3: How many moles of Na2CO3 are present in 15L of a 2M solution?
Solution:
Given M = 2, v = 15L and n = ?
By using the formula
M = n/v
2M = n/15L
n = 2M × 15L
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n = 30 moles
There are 30 moles of Na2CO3 present in 15L of a 2M solution.
Problem 4: In a 20.0ml HCL of 2.0 M solution, how many moles are present?
Solution:
Given: M = 2.0, v = 20.0ml and n = ?
Convert milliliter to liter
By using the formula
M = n/v
2.0M = n/0.0200L
n = 2.0M × 0.0200L
n = 0.040 moles.
There are 0.040 moles in 20.0ml HCl of 2.0 M solution.
Problem 5: How many grams of H2SO4 in weight are required to make 950ml of
0.500 M solution?
Solution:
Given: M = 0.500, v = 950ml
M = n/v
To find mass (grams),
Mv = n
Where n = mass/molecular mass
Mv = mass/molecular mass
0.500M × 0.950L = x/98.0768 g mol-1
x = 0.500M × 0.950L × 98.0768 g mol-1
x = 46.6g
46.6 grams of H2SO4 in weight required to make 950ml of 0.500 M solution.
Problem 6: How many grams of Ca(OH)2 are needed to make 250 ml of 0.350M
solution?
Solution:
Given M = 0.350, v = 250ml
M = n/v
To find mass (grams),
Mv = n
n = mass/molecular mass
n = x/74.0918 g mol-1
Mv = x/74.0918 g mol-1
x = 0.350M × 0.250L × 74.0918 g mol-1
x = 6.48g
6.48g of Ca(OH)2 are needed to make 250 ml of 0.350M solution.
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Problem 7: What is the total volume in ml of 10.0M HCl is needed to contain 5.00
moles of HCl solution?
Solution:
Given M = 10.0, n = 5.00 moles and v = ?
By using the formula,
M = n/v
v = n/M
v = 5.00 moles/10.00M
v = 0.500L
Convert liters to milliliters,
v = 500ml
Therefore, 500ml of volume is needed to make 10.0M HCl contain 5.00 moles of HCl
solution.
Problem 8: What is the molarity of 25g of NaCl solution, which is dissolved in
water to produce 2L of the solution?
Solution:
Given mass = 25g, v = 2L and M = ?
First, we must convert grams into moles by dividing with molecular weight NaCl 58.4
g/mole.
M = n/v
n = mass given/molecular mass
n = 25g/58.4 g mol-1
n = 0.42 moles.
Now divide the no. of moles with the total volume of solution
M = 0.42 moles/2L
M = 0.2
The molarity of NaCl is 0.2M.
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Concentration of a Solution
Concentration is a frequently used term in chemistry and other relevant fields.
It is a means of determining how much of one substance is mixed with another
substance. This can apply to any type of chemical combination, although it is
most commonly used in the context of solutions, where it refers to the quantity
of solute dissolved in a solvent. Concentration, can be expressed in both
qualitative (informal) or quantitative (numerically) terms.
The concentration of a solution:
 determines the amount of solute dissolved in a unit amount of solvent,
 can be represented qualitatively and quantitatively, and
 is a macroscopic property (The characteristics of matter in bulk are
referred to as macroscopic properties)

Qualitative Expressions of Concentration

To qualitatively express concentration, a solution can be classified as a, dilute

solution or a concentrated solution.
1. Dilute Solution : A dilute solution contains a smaller proportion of solute as
compared to the proportion of solvent.
2. Concentrated Solution : A dilute solution contains a much greater proportion
of solute as compared to the proportion of solvent.
Figure 1. Dilute (left) and Concentrated (right) solutions

Semi-Qualitative Expressions of Concentration

To semi-qualitatively express concentration, a solution can be classified as an,

saturated solution or a unsaturated solution.
1. Saturated Solution : A solvent has the ability to dissolve certain types of
solutes. A saturated solution is the greatest quantity of solute that may be
dissolved in a solvent at a given temperature. When a solution reaches
saturation, it can no longer dissolve any more solute. Undissolved
chemicals settle to the bottom. The saturation point is determined as point
at which the no more solute can be dissolved in the solvent.
2. Unsaturated Solution : An unsaturated solution is one that contains less
solute than the maximum value, that is, before the solution reaches the
saturation level. There are no residual substances at the bottom, indicating
that all of the solute has been dissolved in the solvent. An unsaturated
solution is a chemical solution in which the solute concentration is less than
the corresponding equilibrium solubility.
Figure 2. Unsaturated (left) and Saturated (right) solutions
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From the above terms we can define solubility :

Solubility is defined as the greatest amount of solute that may dissolve in a certain
quantity of solvent at a given temperature.
A solution is a liquid that is a homogeneous combination of one or more solutes and a
solvent. A typical example of a solution is, sugar cubes added to a cup of tea or coffee.
Here, solubility is the characteristic that allows sugar molecules to dissolve.
As a result, the term solubility may be defined as a substance’s (solute’s) ability to
dissolve in a particular solvent.

Quantitative Expressions of Concentration

To quantitatively express concentration, we use the following terms:

 Mass by Mass percentage of a solution
 Mass by Volume percentage of a solution
Qualitative expressions of concentration are relative terms, which do not
provide the exact concentration of the solution. To characterize the
concentrations of various solutions around us in an accurate and precise
manner, we require quantitative expressions of concentration.
Generally, concentration is represented in both ways:
 Concentration = Quantity of Solute / Quantity of Solution
or
 Concentration = Quantity of Solute / Quantity of Solvent
Mass by Mass percentage (w/w%): It describes the amount of solute (grams)
present in 100 gm of the solution.
Here, both the mass of solute and the mass of solution will be in grams.
Mass by Mass % = (Mass of Solute / Mass of Solution) × 100
Mass by Mass percentage has no unit.
Mass by Volume percentage (w/v%): It describes the amount of solute (grams)
present in 100 mL of solution.
Mass by Volume % = (Mass of Solute / Volume of Solution) × 100
Here, the mass of solute will be in grams and the volume of solution will be in
mL.
Mass by Volume percentage has the unit g/mL.

Temperature Dependence of Quantitative Expressions of Concentration

Temperature Dependence of Quantitative Expressions of Concentration

Expression of
Dependence on
Concentration Required Parameters
Temperature

No
Mass by Mass percentage Mass of solute and mass of
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Temperature Dependence of Quantitative Expressions of Concentration

Expression of
Dependence on
Concentration Required Parameters
Temperature

(w/w%) solution (mass is not affected by

temperature)

Yes
Mass of solute and volume (volume is affected by
Mass by Volume
of solution temperature)
percentage (w/v%)

Sample Questions

Question 1: 15 g of common salt is dissolved in 400 g of water. Calculate the

concentration of the solution by expressing it in Mass by Mass percentage
(w/w%).
Answer:
Given that,
Mass of solute (common salt) = 15 g …(1)
Mass of Solvent (water) = 400 g …(2)
It is known that,
Mass of Solution = Mass of Solute + Mass of Solvent …(3)
So,
Substituting (1) and (2) in (3), we obtain the following,
Mass of Solution = 15 g + 400 g = 415 g …(4)
From Figure 4, we know
Mass by Mass Percentage = ( Mass of Solute / Mass of Solution ) × 100 …(5)
Substituting (1) and (4) in (5), we obtain the following,
Mass by Mass Percentage = ( 15 g / 415 g ) × 100 = ( 0.0361 ) × 100 = 3.61
Answer is:
( w / w % ) = 3.61
Question 2: 15 g of common salt is dissolved in a solution of 300 mL, calculate the
Mass by Volume percentage (w/v%).
Answer:
Given that,
Mass of solute (common salt) = 15 g …(1)
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Mass of Solution (salt solution) = 300 mL …(2)

From Figure 5, we know
Mass by Volume Percentage = ( Mass of Solute / Volume of Solution ) × 100 …(3)
Substituting (1) and (2) in (3), we obtain the following,
Mass by Volume Percentage = ( 15 g / 300 mL ) × 100 = ( 0.05 ) × 100 = 5 g/mL
Answer is:
( w / v % ) = 5 g/mL
Question 3: Define Solubility.
Answer:
Solubility is defined as the greatest amount of solute that may dissolve in a certain
quantity of solvent at a given temperature.
Question 4: Richard dissolved 70 g of sugar in 750 mL of sugar solution.
Calculate the Mass by Volume percentage (w/v%).
Answer:
Given that,
Mass of solute (common salt) = 70 g …(1)
Mass of Solution (salt solution) = 750 mL …(2)
From Figure 5, we know
Mass by Volume Percentage = ( Mass of Solute / Volume of Solution ) × 100 …(3)
Substituting (1) and (2) in (3), we obtain the following,
Mass by Volume Percentage = ( 70 g / 750 mL ) * 100 = ( 0.933 ) × 100 = 93.3 g/mL
Answer is:
( w / v % ) = 93.3 g/mL

Question 5: What is a dilute solution?

Answer:
A dilute solution is solution which contains a smaller proportion of solute as
compared to the proportion of solvent.
Question 6: Is Mass by Mass % dependent on temperature?
Answer:
No, mass by mass % is not dependent on temperature as mass is no effected by
temperature changes.