Molarity is a crucial concept in solution chemistry, referring to the concentration of a solution in terms of the amount of solute per volume of solution. It is expressed in moles per liter (M). To calculate the molarity of a solution, you need to know the number of moles of solute and the volume of the solution it is dissolved in. For example, if you have a 1 M solution, this means there is 1 mole of solute in every liter of solution.
To properly calculate the molarity of diluted and concentrated solutions, you can use the formula:
- Initial Molarity (C1) × Initial Volume (V1) = Final Molarity (C2) × Final Volume (V2)
This formula helps us keep track of the number of moles, which stays constant before and after the dilution.
Understanding molarity is fundamental for tasks such as preparing chemical solutions, carrying out experiments, and performing titrations in a lab setting.