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Q.Define mole fraction. Calculate the mole fraction of H2SO4 in a solution containing 98% (w/w) H2SO4 by mass.

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2018Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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Mole fraction is the ratio of moles of one component to the total moles of all components in solution; for 98% w/w H2SO4 it works out to about 0.9.

Definition: The mole fraction of a component in a solution is the ratio of the number of moles of that component to the total number of moles of all the components (solute + solvent) present in the solution. For a solution of components 1 and 2 with n1n_1 and n2n_2 moles respectively:

x1=n1n1+n2,x2=n2n1+n2x_1 = \dfrac{n_1}{n_1+n_2}, \qquad x_2 = \dfrac{n_2}{n_1+n_2}

Mole fraction is unitless and x1+x2=1x_1 + x_2 = 1.

Calculation for 98% (w/w) H2SO4:

A 98% (w/w) solution means 100 g of solution contains 98 g of H2SO4H_2SO_4 and (100−98)=2(100-98) = 2 g of water.

Molar mass of H2SO4=98 g/molH_2SO_4 = 98\ g/mol; molar mass of H2O=18 g/molH_2O = 18\ g/mol.

Moles of H2SO4=9898=1 molH_2SO_4 = \dfrac{98}{98} = 1\ mol

Moles of H2O=218=0.111 molH_2O = \dfrac{2}{18} = 0.111\ mol

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