Lecture Ch.

9: Solution Concentration Units

When working with solutions, it is convenient to use units that express concentration –
that is to say, how much solute there is per a set amount of solution or solvent. Highly
concentrated solutions have a lot of solute dissolved. Weakly concentrated solutions
have very little solute dissolved. Some solutions will have as little as one part solute/
10,000,000,000 parts solvent! For some mixtures, particularly liquids dissolved in
liquids, dissolving in any proportion will lead to a solution – we call these solutions
miscible in all proportions. For others, only a maximum amount of solute can be
dissolved in solution before the rest will start to precipitate out. At that point the solution
is saturated.

For solutions in liquid solvents, there are a number of units we can use to express
concentration. Some are better for extremely dilute concentrations, and some are better
used for relatively concentrated solutions. Some will be used by chemists, some by
biologists, and some by laboratory technicians. As professionals in the health field, you
should be comfortable working with all of the concentration units we’ll cover in this
chapter.

I. Molarity

Molarity is most often used by chemists in the practical lab. You may already have
encountered it during your own lab classes here. Molarity stands for Moles of Solute /
Liters of Solution. The most common mistake I see students make is to think that
Molarity, or its shorthand symbol, M, stands for moles. This is not true. It is moles PER
liter of solution. The shorthand for moles is mol, there is no single letter shorthand for
moles. When doing math with Molarity, you need to remember that it includes both the
solute and the volume of the solution.

Example: Calculate the concentration of 0.034 moles of HCl in 1.5 L of solution in units
of Molarity.

Dimensional analysis tells us that we want moles of the solute and liters of the solution,
and that we divide the one by the other. Looking at the problem, we have 0.034 moles of
HCl – that is our solute. We also have 1.5 L of solution. When we divide one by the
other, we get the following:

0.034 moles HCl

1.5 L solution = 0.0227 M HCl

If instead I had given you grams or mL, you would first have had to convert to moles or
to Liters in order to get the right units for Molarity!
II. Weight/Volume percent concentration

Weight percent is often used when solutions are relatively concentrated. Weight percent
is given by dividing the mass of the solute in grams by the volume of the solution in mL,
and multiplying by 100%. We express the result as % (w/v).

For instance, for a solution of 15 g glucose in 100 mL solution, the weight percent would
be found as follows:

(15.0 g glucose)
* 100% = 15% (w/v)
(100 mL solution)

If I give you the solute in moles or the solution in Liters, you will have to convert first to
grams and mL to obtain the correct units. Alternately, if I give you the % concentration
(w/v) and one of the other factors, you should be able to calculate the other – just treat
this expression as a mathematical formula.

III. Volume/volume percent concentration

Volume percent is also often used when two solutions are relatively concentrated – and it
is specifically used when the solvent and the solute are both liquid. Examples of this
include the concentration units used to express the concentration of alcohol or hydrogen
peroxide in the bottles you buy at the drugstore - both of which contain a substantial
amount of water as well as ‘active ingredient’. Volume percent is given by dividing the
volume of the solute by the volume of the solution and multiplying by 100%. We
express the results as % (v/v). While generally the units used are mL, since both the
volume of the solution and the solute must be given in the same units and they cancel out,
any volume units should work.

For example, if we have a solution of 4.5 mL of alcohol in 6.5 mL of solution, our

volume percent would be found as follows:

(4.5 mL alcohol)
(6.5 mL solution) * 100% = 69.2% (v/v)

IV. ppm and ppb

Ppm and ppb are concentration units often used when the concentration of a solute is so
small as to be nearly undetectable. ppm and ppb stand for “parts per million” and “parts
per billion”, respectively. While it is tempting to think of these as parts in terms of
molecules, the truth is ppm and ppb both refer to a ‘part’ as a unit of mass. So a solute
that is present in concentrations of 1 ppm contributes 1 g for every 1 milllion grams of
that solution. You will often see these concentration units on your water utility
statements every year or so when they are required to provide you with information
pertaining to the pollutants and drinkability of the local tap water. Items such as arsenic
and lead in the water supply, as well as pharmaceuticals, will be expressed in terms of
ppm and ppb.

To calculate concentration in units of ppm, simply divide the mass of the solute by the
mass of the solution (both in the same units, such as grams), then multiply be 106 (that is,
a million).

For example, if tap water is fluoridated by the addition of NaF at 32 mg NaF for every 20
kg of solution, what is its concentration in ppm?

First, we need to convert both the NaF and the solution to the same mass units. I can
either convert 32 mg NaF to kg, or 20 kg of solution to mg. Or I can convert them both
to grams. Then I need to divide the mass of NaF by the mass of the solution and multiply
by 106.

32 mg NaF = 32x10-3 g NaF

20 kg solution = 20x103 g solution

32x10-3 g NaF
ppm = 20x103 g solution * 1x106 = 0.16 ppm NaF

To calculate concentration in units of ppb, simply divide the mass of the solute by the
mass of the solution (both in the same units, such as grams), then multiply be 109 (that is,
a billion).

For example, if the concentration of chloroform in drinking water is 100 ppb, how many
grams of chloroform will be in a glass that contains 400 g of water?

For this problem we will have to work backwards, but we can just use the same formula
and plug it in:

X g chloroform 9
ppb = 400 g water * 1x10 = 100 ppb Chloroform

When we solve for X, we get the following equation:

100 ppb chloroform*400 g water

= X g Chloroform
1x109

We solve for X and find 0.00004 g of chloroform in the glass of drinking water.

I have included a great informative link to a page on understanding ppm and ppb in the
weblinks section – if you have trouble with this concept I’d highly recommend checking
it out. But consider: 100 ppb is such a small amount – it would be like selecting 700
people on the planet out of everybody alive today
V. Dilutions

Once we have mastered using using concentration units, we find it is easy to calculate
concentrations of diluted solutions. If we multiply the concentration by the volume of the
solution, the volume dimensions cancel out and we are left with the amount of solute.
Since diluting a solution by adding liquid does not change the amount of solute present,
the product of the concentration and the volume will be the same for the initial solution as
well as the final. For example, if we did this with Molarity it would look like the
following:

M1V1 = M2V2

Where M1 and M2 are the initial and final Molarity concentrations of our solution
respectively, and V1 and V2 are the initial and final volumes of our solutions.

For example, if I have a 0.500 L sample of 0.10 M NaOH, and I add enough water to
dilute the solution volume to 2.500 L, what will the final concentration be?

In this problem, M1 = 0.10 M NaOH, V1 = 0.500 L, and V2 = 2.500 L. When we plug

them into the equation and solve for M2, we get the following:

(0.10 M NaOH)*(0.500 L)
(2.500 L) = M2 = 0.020 M NaOH

Again, this method will work with any of the concentration units discussed previously.
Watch your units!