ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

ENVE 201
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I
LABORATORY REPORT

PREPARING CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS AND MAKING DILUTIONS

Aliş YANDIM
210103003048
Gizem BAŞARAN DİNDAŞ
18.10.2023
Introduction
The purpose of this lab session is to familiarize the student with the preparation and dilution
procedures for solutions that are used in environmental analysis, as well as to introduce the
idea of solution concentration. After completing this session, the students will be able to use
volumetric pipets and volumetric flasks, calculate the concentration of a given solution,
prepare a solution of known concentration from both solid and liquid substances, dilute a
solution from a more concentrated one, and perform serial dilutions. [1]

Often, a worker will need to change the concentration of a solution by changing the amount of
solvent. Dilution is the addition of solvent, which decreases the concentration of solute in the
solution. Concentration is the removal of solvent, which increases the concentration of the
solute in the solution. [2]
In both dilution and concentration, the amount of solute stays the same. This gives us a way to
calculate what the new solution volume must be for the desired concentration of solute. From
the definition of molarity,
molarity = moles of solute/liters of solution
we can solve for the number of moles of solute:
moles of solute = (molarity)(liters of solution)
A simpler way of writing this is to use M to represent molarity and V to represent volume.
So, the equation becomes:
Moles of solute = MV
Because this quantity does not change before and after the change in concentration, the
product MV must be the same before and the after concentration change. Using numbers to
represent the initial and final conditions, we have:
M1V1=M2V2
As the dilution equation. The volumes must be expressed in the same units. Note that this
equation gives only the initial and final conditions, not the amount of the change. The amount
of change is determined by the subtraction. [3]

Molarity and volume are used to determine dilutions and concentrations of solutions.

1
Materials and Apparatus
 Sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 97%, reagent grade)
 Sulfuric acid (H2SO4, 96-97%, reagent grade)
 Distilled water
 Volumetric flasks
 Volumetric pipettes
 Pipette filler
 Magnetic stirring bar
 Glass vials or tubes
 Lab spoons
 Weighing boat
 Washing bottle
 Analytical balance
 Magnetic stirrer

Methods
 Prepare 100 mL of 2M aqueous NaOH solution.
 First weigh only the container, then weigh 8 gr of NaOH.
 Write 2M NaOH on the volumetric flasks.
 Add 8 gr of weighed NaOH in volumetric flask.
 Add pure water to complete to 100 mL.
 Put a magnetic stirrer bar in the solution, then to get a homogenic solution, put the
solution on magnetic stirrer.
 Prepare 0,1M solution, after that, take 0,5 mL of the solution to put in a volumetric
flask.
 Extract the magnetic stirrer bar to calculate the volume properly.
 Fill the volumetric flask with pure water to obtain 0,1M NaOH, use pasture pipette to
fulfill the exact amount.
 Now, we have 0,1M NaOH solution. Dilute the solution 10 times.
 First, put the pure water into volumetric flask then the HCI acid.
 Take 10 mL of HCI by pipette, then add into volumetric flask.
 Weigh 0.3 gr NaCl.

2
  Applying dilution 2 more times and we obtain 300 ppm NaCl.(50 mL)

Results
The process of dilution involves adding extra solvent to a small volume of the concentrated
solution to create a diluted solution from a more concentrated stock solution. Using a
volumetric flask and a volumetric pipet, a determined amount of the stock solution can be
transferred, and the flask can then be filled with solvent to the designated level to carry out a
dilution.

Figure 1. First steps of the experiment (example)

In the experiment, we created the solution by taking some NaOH component and adding pure
water to it, following the laboratory procedures. Then we added the magnetic stirrer bar to the
solution and kept it in while putting on magnetic stirrer, so we would have a homogeneous
solution. Then we took a sample of the solution and added it to the volumetric flasks. After
this, we completed our experiment as a result of the dilution processes.

Figure 2. Summary of the experiment as shown. (example)

Discussion and Conclusion

3
The purpose of the experiment was to dilute a solution created with a component and pure
water with several steps. To do this, we needed various laboratory materials such as a
volumetric flask and a magnetic stirrer, and most importantly, we completed the experiment
within the framework of laboratory safety rules. On the other hand, to observe the dilution
process better, we could have used components that are visible for human eyes.

Post Lab Questions

1) How much 96 % sulphuric acid is needed to prepare 1 N 100 mL solution? (d=1.84 g/mL,
Solution:
MW=98 g/mol)
1cm3 = 1mL Molar mass of H2SO4 = (2x1,008 + 1x32.06 + 4x15.999) =
98.072g/mol
1000mL = 1L
Normality(N) = n factor x Molarity, where n factor means the number of hydrogen ions in
acid.
For H2SO4, n = 2 because acid contains 2 hydrogen ions. Therefore, the molarity of 1N
H2SO4 = (1N/2) = 0.5M
1. A 96% H2SO4 solution by mass means that the acid contains 96 g H2SO4 in 100g of
solution or 960 g H2SO4 in 1000 g of solution.
2. Now, molarity of the acid is needed.
3. First, let’s convert the mass of 1000 g solution to volume with the help of its density =
(1000 g/1.84 g/mol) = 543.48 mL or 0.54348 L
4. Therefore, the mass of H2SO4 in 1L = (960 g/0.54348L) = 1766.39 g
5. Moles of acid in 1766.39 g = (mass of acid in g/molar mass of acid in g/mol) : 1766.39 g/
98.072 g/mol) = 18.01 mol
6. Next, let’s calculate the molarity of the acid and this is the number of moles of solute
present in 1 Liter of its solution = (18.01M/1L) = 18.01 mol/L or 18.01M
7. Let’s calculate the volume of the 18.01 M H2SO4 required to prepare the solution by using
a dilution formula of (M1xV1) = (M2xV2), where M1 = 18.01M H2SO4, V1 =? mL, M2 =
0.5M of diluted H2SO4 solution and V2 = 100 mL of diluted H2SO4 solution.
On solving for V1 = (0.5Mx100mL/18.01M) = 2.77 mL

4
2) Suppose that an experiment required that 250 ml of a 35 ppm aqueous dipotassium
phosphate (K2HPO4) solution be prepared from a 0.1 M stock K 2HPO4 solution prepared
earlier. What volume of the concentrated K2HPO4 solution would be needed? (Water density
= 997 g/L at 25°C and MW of K2HPO4 = 174 g/mol)
Solution: Given that 250 mL of a 35 ppm K2HPO4 solution
35 ppm = 35 x 1mg/L = 35 x 10-3g/L = 35 x 10-3 L-1/174 g mol-1
= 35 ppm = 0.2011 mol/L or 0.2011 mol/dm3
Also, given 0.1M stock K2HPO4 solution,
Let V1 = 250 mL, V2 =? M1 = 0.2011M, M2 = 0.1M
From M1V1 = M2V2, (0.2011M) (250mL) = (0.1M) V2, V2 = 502.75 mL
3) Please recalculate the concentration of the aqueous HCl solution prepared during the lab
session as mass concentration (g/L), (ppm), (ppb) and (mol/L).
Solution:
Molarity: M2(final molarity) is wanted as 0.01M, diluted concentration.
Mass concentration: We need to know the molecular weight to calculate mass concentration,
it is approximately 36,46 g/mol.
Ppm: One ppm is 1 mg/L. Concentration(ppm) = Mass concentration(g/L) x 1,000
= 0.3646 g/L x 1,000 = 346.46 ppm
Ppb: One ppb is 1 μg/L. Concentration(ppb) = Mass concentration(g/L) x 1,000,000
= 0.3646 g/L x 1,000,000 = 364,600 ppb

References
Ms. Alisson Tarvin, https://www.chemedx.org/article/capping-unique-redesign-laboratory-
curriculum
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/
Beginning_Chemistry_(Ball)/11%3A_Solutions/11.04%3A_Dilutions_and_Concentrations

General Safety
For Laboratory Work: Please refer to the ACS Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Safety in
Secondary Schools (2016)(link is external).

5
For Demonstrations: Please refer to the ACS Division of Chemical Education Safety
Guidelines for Chemical Demonstrations(link is external).
Other Safety resources
RAMP(link is external): Recognize hazards; Assess the risks of hazards; Minimize the risks
of hazards; Prepare for emergencies