Lab 1 – Preparation of Solutions

Objectives
1. To prepare a standard solution of NaOH and NaCl from dry mass
2. To prepare dilute solutions from standard solutions
3. To prepare a dilute solution from a stock solution

Materials and Apparatus

1. Sodium pellets
2. Stock solution of Hydrochloric Acid
3. Volumetric flask
4. Wash bottles
5. Mass balance
6. Deionized water
7. Beakers
8. Conical flask
9. Funnels
10. Siphons
11. Graduated cylinder
12. Sodium Chloride powder

Abstract
When a substance, called a solute, is dissolved in another substance, called the solvent, a solution is
formed. A solution is a uniform distribution of solute in solvent. For example, vinegar is a solution
of acetic acid (the solute) in water (the solvent). The amount of solute in a solvent is important and
can be expressed in several different ways. Some common units of concentration will be discussed in
this manual.

Introduction and Theory

A solution in thermodynamics refers to a system with more than one chemical component that is
mixed homogeneously at the molecular level. A well-known example of a solution is salt water: The
+ -
Na , Cl and H2O ions are intimately mixed at the atomic level. Many systems can be characterized as
a dispersion of one phase within another phase. Although such systems typically contain more than
one chemical component, they do not form a solution. Solutions are not limited to liquids: for example
air, a mixture of predominantly N2 and O2, forms a vapor solution.

In a chemical laboratory, Standard solutions, stock solutions and diluted solutions are available A
standard solution is a solution containing a precisely known concentration of an element or a
substance. A known weight of solute is dissolved to make a specific volume. Standard solutions are
used to determine the concentrations of other solutions through titrations methods. Stock solutions
of stable compounds are large volumes of common reagents, such as hydrochloride acid or sodium
chloride that are routinely maintained in labs as more concentrated solutions that can be diluted to
working strength when used in typical applications. The usual working concentration is denoted as
1x. A solution 20 times more concentrated would be denoted as 20x and would require a 1:20 dilution
to restore the typical working concentration.

To characterize a solution, it is necessary to introduce variables specifying the composition of the

different chemical components of the solution. Several composition variables are often used, each
having particular advantages in different applications. The first composition variables of importance
are the mole numbers. For a system with N components, we will refer to the number of moles of
each component i as ni. When specifying the composition of a multi-component system in a phase
diagram, more practical composition variables are mole fraction and weight fraction. The mole
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MSE 364/METE 358 Laboratory II, Materials Engineering Department, KNUST, Kumasi
fraction of component i, denoted by xi, refers to the number of mole ni of i in the solution divided by
the total number of mole ntotal in the solution. Similarly, the weight fraction, wi, of component i is the
ratio of the weight of component i, Wi, in solution to the total weight of solution, Wtotal. Weight
fractions are often used in practical applications, where a mixture having a particular weight fraction
can easily be prepared by weighing the pure components before mixing them. Mole fractions are
useful when viewing the solution within a theoretical framework where details of the solution at the
atomic level become important. Closely related to mole fraction is the atomic percent of component
i which is often denoted by (at%)i and equals 100 times the mole fraction xi. A fourth important
composition variable is the concentration Ci of component i, defined as the number of moles of i
divided by the volume V of the solution. As an overview, the four concentration variables are
summarized in Table 1.
n
Mole Fraction: xi  i
ntotal

Atomic Percent: at%  100%  xi

Wi
Weight Fraction: wi 
Wtotal

ni
Concentration: Ci 
V

Solution preparation methods

1. Molar solutions
Molarity (M) means the number of moles of solute per liter of solution. To prepare a 1 M solution,
slowly add 1 gram formula weight of compound to a clean 1-L volumetric flask half filled with
distilled or deionized water. Allow the compound to dissolve completely, swirling the flask gently if
necessary. Once the solute is completely dissolved and the solution is at room temperature, dilute to
the mark with water. Invert the flask several times to mix.
Example1
To make a 1 M solution of sodium hydroxide, slowly add 40 g sodium hydroxide to 500 mL
distilled or deionized water in a 1000-Ml volumetric flask. When all the solid is dissolved and
the solution is at room temperature, dilute to the mark and invert the flask several times to mix.
Example 2
To make a 1 M solution acetic acid, dissolve 60.05 g acetic acid in 500 mL distilled or deionized
water in a 1000-mL volumetric flask. Because acetic acid is a liquid, the acid may also be
measured by volume. Divide the mass of acid by its density (1.049 g/mL) to determine the
volume (57.24 mL). Use either 60.05 g or 57.24 mL acetic acid to make the solution. Swirl the
flask gently to mix the solution. When the solution is at room temperature, dilute to the mark
and invert the flask several times to mix.

2. Percent solutions
a. Mass percent means the number of grams of solute per 100 g of solution. For example, 10 g
sodium chloride in 90 g water is a 10% by mass sodium chloride solution.
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 10 𝑔
Mass percentage = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 × 100% = 10𝑔+90𝑔 × 100% = 10%

b. Volume percent means the number of milliliters of solute per 100 mL of solution. The volume
percent of a solution cannot be calculated directly from the volumes of its components because
the final volume may not equal the sum of the components’ volumes. To prepare volume
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MSE 364/METE 358 Laboratory II, Materials Engineering Department, KNUST, Kumasi
 percent solutions, first determine the final volume and concentration of solution desired and
then determine the amount of solute. Dilute the solute in sufficient solvent to produce the final
volume of solution desired. For example, to prepare 100 mL of a 10% by volume solution of
acetic acid, dilute 10 mL acetic acid with distilled or deionized water to make 100 mL of
solution.

Note: Solutions of concentrated reagents, such as 37% hydrochloric and 85% phosphoric acids, are
percent solutions by mass. In general, percent solutions are by mass.

3. Dilutions
When preparing a dilution, decide the volume and molar concentration of the resulting solution you
require. Use the following equation to determine how much of the concentrated reagent is needed to
prepare the diluted solution,
Mreagent × Vreagent = Mdilution × Vdilution

where; M is molarity and V is volume. Slowly add the calculated volume of concentrated reagent to
the proper-size volumetric flask half filled with distilled or deionized water and swirl the flask to mix.
Once the solution is at room temperature, dilute to the mark with water and invert the flask several
times to mix.

For example, what volume of 10 M acetic acid is required to prepare 1.0 L of 0.50 M acetic acid?

10 M × Vreagent = 0.50 M × 1.0 L Vreagent = 0.050 L = 50 mL. A volume of 50 mL

of 10 M acetic acid is required to prepare 1.0 L of 0.50 M acetic acid.

4. Special Cases
Often it is necessary to prepare solutions from chemicals that are less than 100% pure. To prepare
solutions from these impure chemicals, first choose the volume and molarity of the resulting solution
you require. Multiply the solution’s volume by its molarity. The product (n) is the number of moles
of pure chemical needed to produce that solution.
Mpure × Vpure = npure

Because the percent purity of chemicals sold commercially is measured by mass, first calculate the
mass of the pure chemical needed to make the solution. Multiply the number of moles of pure
chemical times the gram formula weight of the chemical.
mass of pure chemical = npure × gram formula weight

a. mass of pure chemical = Mpure × Vpure × gram formula weight …………………….1

The mass of the impure chemical times the percent purity equals the mass of the pure chemical.
Divide the mass of pure chemical by the percent purity to yield the mass of the impure chemical.

mass of impure chemical × percent purity = mass of pure chemical

b. mass of impure chemical = mass of pure chemical/percent purity ……………………..2

Substitute the expression for mass of pure chemical from equation (1) into equation (2).

𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

Therefore; mass of impure chemical = Mpure × Vpure × 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦
For example, what mass of potassium hydroxide that is 85.9% pure is needed to prepare 1.0 L
of a 0.25 M solution of potassium hydroxide? The gram formula weight of potassium hydroxide

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MSE 364/METE 358 Laboratory II, Materials Engineering Department, KNUST, Kumasi
 is 56.11 g/mol. mass of impure chemical = Mpure × Vpure × gram formula weight/percent
purity = 0.25 M × 1.0 L × 56.11 g/mol ÷ 0.859 = 16 g

Note: If the chemical in question is a liquid, then one more calculation is required. Divide the mass
of impure chemical by its density to yield the volume of chemical.

Volume of impure = mass of impure chemical in g/density of impure chemical in mL chemical

in grams per milliliter. Again, combine the previous equations.

Volume of impure chemical = Mpure × Vpure × gram formula weight/(percent purity × density)

For example, what volume of hydrochloric acid that is 37.1% pure is needed to prepare 1.0 L of a
0.10 M solution of hydrochloric acid? The gram formula weight of hydrochloric acid is 36.46 g/mol
and the density of 37.1% hydrochloric acid is 1.200 g/mL.

volume of impure chemical = Mpure × Vpure × gram formula

weight/(percent purity × density)
= 0.10 M × 1.0 L × 36.46 g/mol ÷ (0.371 × 1.200 g/mL) = 8.2 mL

Practical 1
Preparation of 1 M Sodium Chloride solution using Sodium Chloride powder

Practical 2
Preparation of 0.34 M Sodium Chloride solution from a 1 M Sodium Chloride solution

Practical 3
Preparation of dilute HCl acid from a Stock solution

Precautions
1. Concentrated HCl is a very strong acid that will burn your skin instantly upon contact! Wear
gloves, goggles, and lab coat.
2. Do not make the mistake of adding water to concentrated HCl. It has to acid into water. If you
do it the wrong way the first drops of water mixing with the concentrated acid will heat up,
evaporate, and can send drops of acid flying out of the container onto you.

3. HClaq above 25% w/w ~ 8M is corrosive and HClaq above 10% ~ 3M is irritant

POST LAB QUESTIONS

1. Briefly explain the following terms; stock solution, standard solution, dilute solution
2. Briefly explain why solution preparation is important to the materials/metallurgical engineer.
3. Describe how you would prepare 1.0 L of a 0.10 M solution of sulfuric acid from a 3.0 M
solution of sulfuric acid. Show any calculations made.
4. Describe how you would prepare 500 mL of a 1.0 M solution of potassium chloride that is
93.0% pure. The gram formula weight of potassium chloride is 74.56 g/mol.
5. 3 % of NaOH solution is required during clay content determination laboratory work.
Describe briefly how you will prepare such solution for your work. Show any calculations
involved.

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MSE 364/METE 358 Laboratory II, Materials Engineering Department, KNUST, Kumasi