Question

A solution that contains 1 equivalent of acid or base per liter is said to be a _______ solution.

Short answer

A solution that contains 1 equivalent of acid or base per liter is said to be a \(\textbf{Normal}\) solution.

Step-by-step solution

Definition and context

The term we are looking for is used to describe a specific concentration of an acid or base in a solution. It refers to the number of acid or base equivalents per liter of solution.

Finding the term

The term we are looking for is "Normal" or "Normality". A \(1\) equivalent of acid or base per liter solution is known as a \(1\) Normal (denoted as \(1 N\)) solution. Thus, the answer to the question is "Normal" solution.

Key concepts

Acid-Base Chemistry

Acid-base chemistry is a fundamental concept in the study of chemical reactions where acids and bases interact. An acid is a substance that can donate a proton (hydrogen ion, H+) or accept an electron pair, while a base is a substance that can accept a proton or donate an electron pair to an acid.

Understanding the strengths of acids and bases is critical when working with chemical solutions. The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a solution is, with 7 being neutral. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic, while those with a pH greater than 7 are basic. The acid-base concept is immensely important when dealing with normality because the number of hydrogen ions (H+) or hydroxide ions (OH-) that can be donated or accepted in a reaction determines the acid or base's equivalent weight, which, in turn, is used to calculate the normality of a solution.

Equivalent Concept

The equivalent concept is a crucial part of chemistry that deals with the quantification of reactants in a chemical reaction. An equivalent is defined as the amount of a substance that will react with or supply one mole of hydrogen ions (H+) in an acid-base reaction or one mole of electrons in a redox reaction. This concept is especially useful when substances react in ratios that are not one to one.

To further illustrate, in the context of acid-base reactions, an equivalent of an acid is the amount of acid that can provide 1 mole of H+ ions, and for a base, it's the amount that can provide 1 mole of OH- ions. The equivalent weight is calculated by dividing the substance's molecular weight by its valency, which refers to the number of H+ ions the acid can donate or OH- ions the base can accept. The use of equivalents allows chemists to make precise calculations when balancing chemical equations and creating solutions with desired reaction capacities.

Solution Concentration

In chemistry, solution concentration refers to the amount of solute present in a given quantity of solvent or solution. It is an expression of the intensity of a solution and can be measured in various ways including molarity, molality, weight percent, and normality. The concept of normality is particularly significant as it takes into account the reactive capacity of the solute, making it ideal for use in titration and other reactions where stoichiometry is important.

For acid-base chemistry, normality is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) or hydroxide ions (OH-) that the solute (acid or base) can produce. This type of concentration is critical for understanding the reaction dynamics in solutions. A normal solution has a concentration expressed in equivalents per liter, indicating the reactive capacity rather than just the number of moles of solute. To improve comprehension of this concept, it's important to recognize that one liter of a 1 Normal (1 N) acid solution is capable of neutralizing one liter of a 1 N base solution entirely due to the stoichiometry of the reaction involved, which is central to the equivalent concept.