Molality
As is clear from its name, molality involves moles. Boy, does it!
The molality of a solution is calculated by taking the moles of solute and dividing by
the kilograms of solvent.
This is probably easiest to explain with examples.
Example #1: Suppose we had 1.00 mole of sucrose (it's about 342.3 grams) and
proceeded to mix it into exactly 1.00 liter water. It would dissolve and make sugar
water. We keep adding water, dissolving and stirring until all the solid was gone. We
then made sure everything was well-mixed.
What would be the molality of this solution? Notice that my one liter of water weighs
1000 grams (density of water = 1.00 g / mL and 1000 mL of water in a liter). 1000 g
is 1.00 kg, so:
The answer is 1.00 mol/kg. Notice that both the units of mol and kg remain. Neither
cancels.
A symbol for mol/kg is often used. It is a lower-case m and is often in
italics, m. Some textbooks also put in a dash, like this: 1.00-m. However, if you write
1.00 m for the answer, without the italics, then that usually is correct because the
context calls for a molality. Having said that, however, be aware that often m is
used for mass, so be careful. (A lower-case m is also used for meter, but the context
should be clear that m means molality.) Maybe including the dash would be wise if
there might be a potential misunderstanding
When you say it out loud, say this: "one point oh oh molal." You don't have to say
the dash.
And never forget this: replace the m with mol/kg when you do calculations. The m is
a symbol that stands for mol/kg. It is not the actual unit.
Example #2: Suppose you had 2.00 moles of solute dissolved into 1.00 L of
solvent. What's the molality?
The answer is 2.00 m.
Notice that no mention of a specific substance is mentioned at all. The molarity
would be the same. It doesn't matter if it is sucrose, sodium chloride or any other
substance. One mole of anything contains 6.022 x 10 23 units.
Example #3: What is the molality when 0.75 mol is dissolved in 2.50 L of solvent?
The answer is 0.300 m.
Now, let's change from using moles to grams. This is much more common. After all,
chemists use balances to weigh things and balances give grams, NOT moles.
Example #4: Suppose you had 58.44 grams of NaCl and you dissolved it in exactly
2.00 kg of pure water (the solvent). What would be the molality of the solution?
The solution to this problem involves two steps.
Step One: convert grams to moles.
Step Two: divide moles by kg of solvent to get molality.
In the above problem, 58.44 grams/mol is the molar mass of NaCl.
Step One: 58.44 g / 58.44 gr/mol = 1.00 mol.
Step Two: 1.00 mol / 2.00 kg = 0.500 mol/kg (or 0.500 m).
Sometimes, a book will write out the word "molal," as in 0.500-molal.
Example #5: Calculate the molality of 25.0 grams of KBr dissolved in 750.0 mL
pure water.
Example #6: 80.0 grams of glucose (C6H12O6, mol. wt = 180. g/mol) is dissolved
in1.00 kg of water. Calculate the molality.
Example #7: Calcuate the molality when 75.0 grams of MgCl 2 is dissolved in 500.0
g of solvent.
Example #8: 100.0 grams of sucrose (C12H22O11, mol. wt. = 342.3 g/mol) is
dissolved in 1.50 L of water. What is the molality?
Example #9: 49.8 grams of KI is dissolved in 1.00 kg of solvent. What is the
molality?
In the molarity tutorial the phrase "of solution" kept showing up. The molarity
definition is based on the volume of the solution. This makes molarity a
temperature-dependent definition. However, the molality definition does not have a
volume in it and so is independent of any temperature changes. This will make
molality a very useful concentration unit in the area of colligative properties.
Lastly, it is very common for students to confuse the two definitions of molarity and
molality. The words differ by only one letter and sometimes that small difference is
overlooked.
Problem #11: What is the molality of NaCl in an aqueous solution which is 4.20
molar? The density of the solution is 1.05 x 10 3 g/L.
Solution:
1) Assume 1.00 L of the 4.20 M solution is present:
1.00 L of this solution contains 4.20 mole of NaCl.
1.00 L times 1050 g/L = 1050 g of solution.
2) Determine mass of water in 1050 g of solution:
4.20 mol times 58.443 g/mol = 245.4606 g <--- mass of NaCl in solution
1050 g - 245.4606 g = 804.5394 g
3) Calculate the molality:
4.20 mol / 0.8045394 kg = 5.22 m (to three sig figs)
Problem #12: Calculate the molarity of a 3.58 m aqueous RbCl solution with a
density of 1.12 g/mL.
Solution:
1) 3.58 m means this:
3.58 mole of RbCl in 1000 g of water.
2) Determine total mass of solution:
3.58 mol times 120.921 g/mol = 432.89718 g
1000 g + 432.89718 g = 1432.89718 g
3) Determine volume of solution:
1432.89718 g / 1.12 g/mL = 1279.37 mL
4) Determine molarity:
3.58 mol / 1.27937 L = 2.80 M
Here's another problem of this type.
Problem #13: Calculate the molality of a solution containing 16.5 g of naphthalene
(C10H8) in 54.3 g benzene (C6H6).
Solution:
molality = moles of naphthalene / kilograms of benzene
(16.5 g / 128.1732 g/mol) / 0.0543 kg = 2.37 m
Problem #14: What is the molality of a solution consisting of 1.34 mL of carbon
tetrachloride (CCl4, density= 1.59 g/mL) in 65.0 mL of methylene chloride (CH 2Cl2,
density = 1.33 g/mL)?
Solution:
1) Moles CCl4:
1.34 mL times 1.59 g/mL = 2.1306 g
2.1306 g / 153.823 g/mol = 0.013851 mol
2) Mass of the methylene chloride:
65.0 mL times 1.33 g/mL = 86.45 g = 0.08645 kg
3) Molality:
0.013851 mol / 0.08645 kg = 0.160 m (to three sig figs)
Problem #15: Determine concentration of a solution that contains 825 mg of
Na2HPO4 dissolved in 450.0 mL of water in (a) molarity, (b) molality, (c) mole
fraction, (d) mass %, and (e) ppm. Assume the density of the solution is the same as
water (1.00 g/mL). Assume no volume change upon the addition of the solute.
Solution:
1) Molarity:
MV = mass / molar mass
(x) (0.4500 L) = 0.825 g / 141.9579 g/mol
x = 0.0129 M
2) Molality:
0.825 g / 141.9579 g/mol = 0.00581158 mol
0.00581158 mol / 0.4500 kg = 0.0129 m
3) Mole fraction:
Na2HPO4 ---> 0.825 g / 141.9579 g/mol = 0.00581158 mol
H2O ---> 450.0 g / 18.015 g/mol = 24.97918401 mol
mole fraction of the water ---> 24.97918401 mol / (24.97918401 mol + 0.00581158
mol) = 0.9998
4) Mass percent:
water ---> (450 g / 450.825 g) * 100 = 99.8%
5) ppm:
ppm means the number of grams of solute per 1,000,000 grams of solution
0.825 is to 450.825 as x is to 1,000,000
x = 1830 ppm
