Ming needs to add some salt solution to his algae culture to emulate seawater conditions. The only salt solution he has is 20% (w/v) of salt. He wants to make 5 liters of 1 molar salt solution. How much 20% salt solution should he add?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Salt has a molar weight of about 58.5 grams per mol. In a 20% w/v solution, we have 200 grams of salt. Thus, 1 liter of 20% salt will have 3.41 moles of salt. In order to make 5 liters of 1 molar salt solution, we need 5 moles of salt. 5/3.41 = 1.46 liters needed to provide 5 moles of salt.

Ming Needs to Add Some Salt Solution to His Algae