Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Lesson 4.4
Mole Fraction, PPM, and PPB
Contents
Introduction 1

Learning Objectives 2

Warm Up 2

Learn about It! 3

Mole Fraction 3
Parts per Million 7
Parts per Billion 11

Key Points 15

Key Formulas 15

Check Your Understanding 16

Challenge Yourself 18

Bibliography 18

Key to Try It! 19

Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Lesson 4.4

Mole Fraction, PPM, and PPB

Introduction
Greenhouse gases are gases that absorb and radiate heat. They are the primary
contributors to global warming. One such example of greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. As
of February 2020, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reports
atmospheric CO2 to be at 413 ppm. It means that for every one million gas particles in the
atmosphere, 413 of it is carbon dioxide particles.

Parts per million (ppm) is one example of a way to express the concentration of solutions.
In the previous lessons, you have learned how to express the concentration of solutions in

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

percent by mass, percent by volume, molarity, molality, and normality. In this lesson, you
will learn about other ways to express concentrations: mole fraction, parts per million
(ppm), and parts per billion (ppb).

Learning Objectives DepEd Competency

In this lesson, you should be able to do the Use different ways of expressing
concentration of solutions: percent
following:
by mass, mole fraction, molarity,
● Define mole fraction, ppm, and ppb. molality, percent by volume,
● Calculate mole fraction, ppm, and ppb percent by mass, ppm
of a solution. (STEM_GC11PP-IIId-f-111).

● Discuss the significance of mole

fraction, ppm, and ppb in real-life
applications.

Warm Up
A Visual Guide to PPM and PPB 10 minutes
Two of the most common units of solution concentration are parts per million (ppm) and
parts per billion (ppb). These units are typically used for very small quantities of solutes. One
ppm means that the solute comprises 1/1,000,000 of the solution. Meanwhile, one ppb
means that the solute comprises 1/1,000,000,000 of the solution. From these definitions,
one can infer that these solutions are remarkably dilute.

Which one is larger in magnitude — 1 ppm or 1 ppb? In this activity, you will identify which
of these two units of concentration is larger using dyes as a visual guide.

Materials
● 1.5 L colorless PET bottle
● powdered blue dye

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

● kitchen measuring cup

● top-loading balance

Procedure
1. Divide the class into two big groups. The first group will prepare 1 ppm of the blue
dye, while the second group will prepare 1 ppb of the blue dye.
2. Using the measuring cup, transfer 1.0 L or 33.8 fluid ounces of tap water into the 1.5
L colorless PET bottle.
3. To the first group, weigh 1.0 mg of the powdered blue dye into a piece of paper and
transfer it to the PET bottle that contains tap water. Shake the mixture thoroughly.
4. To the second group, weigh 0.001 mg of the powdered blue dye into a piece of paper
and transfer it to the PET bottle that contains tap water. Shake the mixture
thoroughly.
5. Answer the guide questions that follow.

Guide Questions
1. Which of the two solutions appears darker blue (1 ppm or 1 ppb)?
2. Based on the comparison of the intensity of blue color, which one is larger in
magnitude (1 ppm or 1 ppb)?
3. According to the FDA, the acceptable threshold of mercury in fish for human
consumption is 1 ppm. If a person consumes 1 ppb of mercury, is the person in
danger of mercury poisoning? Why or why not?

Learn about It!

Mole Fraction
Some physical properties are dependent on solution concentration. One example of such is
vapor pressure, which is highly dependent on the mole ratio of a solute to all the
components in the solution. This way of expressing solution concentration is called the
mole fraction.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

What is a mole fraction?

A mole fraction is denoted by the Greek letter chi (𝜒). The mole fraction of component i,
designated as 𝜒i, is the number of moles of component i divided by the total number of
moles of all the components in the solution. In the mathematical formula, it is written as
Equation 4.4.1, where 𝜒i is the mole fraction of component i, ni is the number of moles of
component i in the solution, and ntotal is the total number of moles of all the components in
the solution. Since this is a fraction, the value of 𝜒 is unitless.

Equation 4.4.1

Similarly, the mole fraction of component j is denoted by 𝜒j, component k by 𝜒k, and so on.

If you add up the mole fractions of all components

of a solution, what should the sum be? Explain your
answer.

Let’s Practice!

Example 1
What is the mole fraction of glucose in a solution that contains 0.50 moles of glucose and
2.50 moles of water?

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Step 2: Calculate the total number of moles.

Step 3: Calculate the mole fraction using Equation 4.4.1.

The mole fraction of glucose in the solution is 0.17.

1 Try It!
What is the mole fraction of NaCl in a solution that contains 1.25 moles of NaCl and
3.75 moles of water?

Example 2
What is the mole fraction of ethanol in a solution that contains 25 g ethanol and 75 g water?

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Convert the given mass to moles.

Step 3: Calculate the total number of moles.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Step 4: Calculate the mole fraction using Equation 4.4.1.

The mole fraction of ethanol in the solution is 0.12.

2 Try It!
What is the mole fraction of KNO3 in a solution that contains 10 g KNO3 and 50 g
water?

Example 3
What is the mole fraction of CaCl2 in a solution that is prepared by dissolving 15 g of CaCl2 in
50.0 mL of water? The density of water is 1.00 g/mL.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Convert the given mass to moles and the given volume to moles.

Step 3: Calculate the total number of moles.

Step 4: Calculate the mole fraction using Equation 4.4.1.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

The mole fraction of CaCl2 in the solution is 0.046.

3 Try It!
What is the mole fraction of naphthalene in a solution that is prepared by dissolving
4.75 g of naphthalene in 250.0 mL of benzene? The density of benzene is 0.877 g/mL.
The molar mass of naphthalene is 128.17 g/mol, while that of benzene is 78.11 g/mol.

Parts per Million

For very dilute solutions, the concentration of the solution may be expressed in parts per
million (ppm).

What is a part per million (ppm)?

Just as percent refers to “a portion out of one hundred,” ppm refers to “a portion out of one
million.” Since a percent is calculated by multiplying the mass ratio by 100, a ppm is
calculated by multiplying the mass ratio by 1,000,000 (or 106). In a mathematical formula, it
is written as Equation 4.4.2, where msolute is the mass of the solute in grams, and msolution is
the mass of the solution in grams.

Equation 4.4.2

Instead of using the ratio of grams, can ppm be

calculated by milligrams solute per milligram
solution multiplied by 106? Why or why not?

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Tips
A ppm may also be expressed in other ways. For instance, 1 mg/kg
is the same as 1 ppm. This is because a milligram is equivalent to
0.001 g, while a kilogram is equivalent to 1000 g.

Other ways of expressing 1 ppm are as follows:

1 𝜇g/g
1 𝜇g/mL
1 mg/L

Let’s Practice!

Example 4
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per million, if 0.01 g of NaCl is dissolved in
1000 grams of solution?

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Calculate the ppm using Equation 4.4.2.

The solution has a concentration of 10 ppm.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

4 Try It!
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per million, if 0.00700 grams of
Na2SO4 is dissolved in 325 grams of solution?

Example 5
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per million, if 25 micrograms of RbOH is
dissolved to make 750 milligrams of solution?

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Convert the given mass values to units of grams.

Step 3: Calculate the ppm using Equation 4.4.2.

The solution has a concentration of 33 ppm.

5 Try It!
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per million, if 18 milligrams of
sucrose is dissolved to produce half a kilogram of solution?

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Example 6
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per million, if it is prepared by dissolving
250 mg of MgI2 in 750 mL of water? The density of water is 1.00 g/mL.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Convert the given volume into mass using the given density. All mass values
should have units of grams.

Step 3: Calculate the total mass of the solution.

Step 4: Calculate the ppm using Equation 4.4.2.

The solution has a concentration of 333 ppm.

6 Try It!
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per million, if it is prepared by
dissolving 215 𝜇g of a solute in 20.0 mL of water? The density of water is 1.00 g/mL.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Parts per Billion

For solutions that are more dilute than the ppm magnitude, the concentration may be
expressed in parts per billion (ppb).

What is a part per billion (ppb)?

A part per billion or ppb refers to “a portion out of one billion.” It is calculated by multiplying
the mass ratio by 1,000,000,000 (or 109). In a mathematical formula, it is written as Equation
4.4.3, where msolute is the mass of the solute in grams, and msolution is the mass of the solution
in grams.

Equation 4.4.3

Tips
Another way of expressing 1 ppb is 1 𝜇g/kg or 1 𝜇g/L.

Did You Know?

A ppb is smaller in magnitude compared to a ppm. Think of it this
way: if you use units of time, one ppm is approximately equivalent
to one second per 11 days, while one ppb is approximately
equivalent to one second per 32 years!

4.4. Mole Fraction, PPM, and PPB 11

Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Let’s Practice!

Example 7
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per billion, if 2.5✕10-4 g of KCl is dissolved to
make 1000 grams of solution?

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Calculate the ppb using Equation 4.4.3.

The solution has a concentration of 250 ppb.

7 Try It!
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per billion, if 0.00012 g of Ba(C2H3O2)2
is dissolved to make 850 grams of solution?

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Example 8
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per billion, if 75 𝜇g of AgNO3 is dissolved in
12 kg of solution?

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Convert the given mass values to units of grams.

Step 3: Calculate the ppb using Equation 4.4.3.

The solution has a concentration of 6.25 ppb.

8 Try It!
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per billion, if 218 𝜇g of Na2CO3 is
dissolved in 25.0 kg of solution?

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Example 9
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per billion, if it is prepared by dissolving 16
𝜇g of ZnSO4 in 1.20 L of water? The density of water is 1.00 g/mL.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the given values.

Step 2: Convert the given volume into mass using the given density. All mass values
should have units of grams.

Step 3: Calculate the total mass of the solution.

Step 4: Calculate the ppb using Equation 4.4.3.

The solution has a concentration of 13.3 ppb.

9 Try It!
What is the concentration of a solution, in parts per billion, if it is prepared by
dissolving 350 𝜇g of NaCl in 5 L of water? The density of water is 1.00 g/mL.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Key Points
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● The mole fraction of component i (𝜒i) is the number of moles of component i divided
by the total number of moles of all the components in the solution.
● A ppm refers to “a portion out of one million.” It is calculated by dividing the mass of
solute by the mass of the solution with similar units and multiplying by 106.
● A ppb refers to “a portion out of one billion.” It is calculated by dividing the mass of
solute by the mass of the solution with similar units and multiplying by 109.
● One ppb is smaller in magnitude compared to one ppm.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Formulas
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Concept Formula Description

Mole Fraction Use this formula to solve for

the mole fraction of a
component in a solution.

where
● 𝜒i is the mole fraction of
component i;
● ni is the number of moles
of component i, and
● ntotal is the total number of
moles of all components.

PPM Use this formula to solve for

the concentration of a
solution in unit ppm.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

where
● msolute is the mass of the
solute (g), and
● msolution is the mass of the
solution (g).

PPB Use this formula to solve for

the concentration of a
solution in unit ppb.
where
● msolute is the mass of the
solute (g), and
● msolution is the mass of the
solution (g).

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Check Your Understanding

A. Write true if the statement is true. Otherwise, write false.

__________________ 1. The unit ppm may also be expressed as mg/L.

__________________ 2. The unit ppb may also be expressed as 𝜇g/mL.

__________________ 3. 1000 ppb is greater in magnitude compared to 1 ppm.

__________________ 4. A mole fraction is the ratio of the number of moles of solute

to the number of moles of solvent.

__________________ 5. The sum of the mole fractions of all components in a

solution is 1.

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

B. Given the following amounts of solute and solvent, calculate the

concentration of the solution in mole fraction, ppm, or ppb.

Item No. Units Amount of solute Amount of solvent

mole fraction
___________ 1. 0.25 mol NaCl 4.75 mol water
solute

mole fraction
___________ 2. 0.15 mol KNO3 15 mol water
solute

mole fraction
___________ 3. 40 g NaOH 90 g water
solute

mole fraction
___________ 4. 20 g MgI2 50 g water
solute

mole fraction 15 mL H2SO4 35 mL water

___________ 5.
solute (density = 1.83 g/mL) (density = 1.00 g/mL)

___________ 6. ppm 0.0006 g mercury 5000 g water

___________ 7. ppm 1.5 g Ca(OH)2 8000 g water

___________ 8. ppm 20 g NaCl 6000 L water

___________ 9. ppm 150 𝜇g sucrose 50 mL water

__________ 10. ppm 0.50 mol KBr 1500 L water

__________ 11. ppb 60 𝜇g calcium 2.0 kg water

__________ 12. ppb 0.010 g copper 2.5✕105 g water

__________ 13. ppb 250 𝜇g lead 40.0 kg water

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Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

__________ 14. ppb 100 𝜇g KCl 50.0 L water

__________ 15. ppb 0.30 𝜇g mercury 10.0 mL water

Challenge Yourself

Answer the following questions.

1. The acceptable amount of chlorine in water used for swimming pools is 3.0 ppm.
How much chlorine should be present in a pool that holds 30,000 gallons of water?
Hint: 1 gallon is equal to 3.785 L.
2. According to the US EPA, the safe threshold limit for total lead in soil is 400 ppm. A
10.0 g soil sample was found to contain 98.0 micrograms of lead. Is the lead content
in the soil below the threshold limit?
3. In preindustrial times, the global concentration of methane (CH4) in the atmosphere
was just around 722 ppb. Meanwhile, it was recorded to be at 1862.8 ppb in May
2019. If samples of air, each weighing 5.0 mg, were obtained from both periods, what
is the mass of methane in each sample?
4. A solution contains 10 g of NaCl, 10 g of glucose, and 10 g of water. What are the
mole fractions of NaCl, glucose, and water in the solution? Hint: FWNaCl = 58.44 g/mol,
MWglucose = 180.16 g/mol, MSwater = 18.015 g/mol.
5. A solution was prepared by mixing 7.8 mL of methanol with 18.2 mL of water.
Calculate the mole fraction of methanol in the solution. Hint: The density of methanol
is 0.792 g/mL, while that of water is 1.00 g/mL.

Bibliography
Brown T.L. et al. 2012. Chemistry: The Central Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Prentice Hall.

Chang, Raymond and Kenneth A. Goldsby. 2016. Chemistry. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.

4.4. Mole Fraction, PPM, and PPB 18

Unit 4: Expressing Concentration of Solutions

Petrucci, Ralph H. 2011. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. Toronto,
Ontario: Pearson Canada.

Silberberg, Martin S. 2007. Principles of General Chemistry. Pennsylvania State University:

McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Whitten, Kenneth W. 2013. Chemistry (10th ed). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Key to Try It!

1. 0.250
2. 0.03
3. 0.0130
4. 21.5 ppm
5. 36 ppm
6. 10.7 ppm
7. 140 ppb
8. 8.72 ppb
9. 70 ppb

4.4. Mole Fraction, PPM, and PPB 19