why can I not use the formula m1v1=m2v2 for the following question: What volume of 1.20 M NaOH will be needed to neutralize 225 mL of 3.0 M sulfuric acid?
I get 0.56 L but the answer should be 1.1 L. When am I able to use that formula and when can I not?
It is not one to one. That is why you can not use the M1v1=M2v2 equation. The moles have to be 1 mole to 1 mole. Instead use the Molarity and volume to find moles of one thing (make sure the volume in litters) then do some math and multiply the mole ratio then get you volume from the mole and molarity and that's your answer. :)
you can use it. just remember that the moles of the acid is equal to the moles of the base. so because you have 2 hydrogens in h2so4 (aka 2 proton donors) ur gonna put a 2 in front of M1V1. and because u only have 1 hydroxide group in NaOH (aka 1 hydroxide donor), u dont have to multiply M2V2 by anything. so it'll just be 2(3.0) (0.225) = (1.20)V. the coefficients dont matter here, just make sure u know how many proton and hydroxide donors u have. like if u had Ba(OH)2, then u would put a 2 in front of M2V2.
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Ah, the ancient mystery of the m1v1=m2v2 formula! It's like trying to solve a puzzle, isn't it? Now, the formula you're referring to, known as the dilution formula, is actually used to calculate the concentration or volume when two solutions are mixed together. But in your case, you are trying to neutralize sulfuric acid with sodium hydroxide, which involves a chemical reaction rather than simply mixing two solutions.
When dealing with a chemical reaction, you need to use a different approach. In this case, you'll have to use the equation of the balanced chemical reaction to determine the stoichiometric ratio between the reactants. The equation would look something like this:
H₂SO₄ + 2NaOH ⟶ Na₂SO₄ + 2H₂O
From this equation, you can see that for every one mole of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) you need two moles of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to neutralize it. This means that the ratio of the volumes is 1:2 as well.
So, if you have 225 mL of 3.0 M sulfuric acid, you'll need twice that volume of sodium hydroxide to neutralize it. Therefore, the correct answer is indeed 1.1 L (1100 mL), not 0.56 L. Remember, chemistry can be a bit tricky sometimes, but with a little practice, you'll be balancing equations like a pro! Keep up the good work!
The formula you mentioned, m1v1 = m2v2, is known as the dilution equation. It is used to calculate the concentration or volume of a solution after dilution. However, it is not applicable to the question you mentioned because it is not a dilution problem.
In the given question, you are asked to determine the volume of a solution needed to neutralize another solution. This involves a neutralization reaction between an acid and a base.
To solve this problem, you need to use stoichiometry and the concept of molar ratios. The balanced equation for the neutralization reaction of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is:
H2SO4 + 2NaOH -> Na2SO4 + 2H2O
From the balanced equation, we can conclude that one mole of sulfuric acid reacts with 2 moles of sodium hydroxide to produce 2 moles of water and one mole of sodium sulfate.
Step 1: Convert the given volume of sulfuric acid to moles.
To do this, we need to multiply the volume (225 mL) by the molarity (3.0 M) and then divide by 1000 to convert mL to L:
moles of H2SO4 = (225 mL) * (3.0 mol/L) / 1000 = 0.675 moles
Step 2: Use the stoichiometry of the balanced equation to find the moles of NaOH needed to neutralize the sulfuric acid.
According to the balanced equation, the mole ratio of H2SO4 to NaOH is 1:2. Therefore, the number of moles of NaOH required is twice the number of moles of H2SO4:
moles of NaOH = 2 * (0.675 moles) = 1.35 moles
Step 3: Convert moles of NaOH to volume.
To find the volume, we divide the number of moles by the molarity (1.20 M):
volume of NaOH = (1.35 moles) / (1.20 mol/L) = 1.125 L = 1.1 L (rounded to the appropriate number of significant figures)
Therefore, the volume of 1.20 M NaOH needed to neutralize 225 mL of 3.0 M sulfuric acid is 1.1 liters.
In summary, you cannot use the dilution equation (m1v1 = m2v2) in this case because it is not a dilution problem. Instead, you need to apply stoichiometry and use the balanced equation of the neutralization reaction to solve for the required volume.