Calculate the Mole Fraction of Nitric Acid in Aqueous Solution

What is the mole fraction of nitric acid in a(n) 8.46% (by mass) aqueous solution of nitric acid?

How can we determine the mole fraction of nitric acid in the given solution?

What are the steps involved in calculating the mole fraction?

Answer:

The mole fraction of nitric acid is 0.026

We are given an 8.46% (by mass) aqueous solution of nitric acid. This means that 8.46 grams of nitric acid is present in 100 grams of the solution. To calculate the mole fraction of nitric acid, we need to follow these steps:

Step 1:

Calculate the mass of nitric acid in the solution, which is 8.46% of the total mass.

Step 2:

Convert the mass of nitric acid to moles using the molar mass of nitric acid.

Step 3:

Calculate the mass of water in the solution, which is 100% - 8.46% by mass.

Step 4:

Convert the mass of water to moles using the molar mass of water.

Step 5:

Calculate the total moles of the solute (nitric acid) and the solvent (water).

Step 6:

Finally, calculate the mole fraction of nitric acid by dividing the moles of nitric acid by the total moles.

Therefore, the mole fraction of nitric acid in the 8.46% aqueous solution is 0.026.