.7 x 10^-3Find Molar Mass of Weak Acid

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The discussion focuses on determining the molar mass of an unknown weak monoprotic acid after dissolving 0.945 grams in water and titrating a 25 ml sample with a 0.20 mol/l base. The calculated moles of acid from the titration are 4.42 x 10^-3, and there is uncertainty about whether to multiply this by four to account for the total volume of the original solution. After clarification, it is confirmed that multiplying by four is correct, leading to a molar mass calculation of 52 g/mol, although there are concerns about rounding errors. Participants speculate on the identity of the acid, suggesting it might be an obscure compound, possibly an amine like ammonium chloride, due to its low molar mass. The teacher has indicated that the calculated answer is reasonable, despite the uncertainty surrounding the acid's identity.
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(purpose is to find molar mass)

At the start we dissolved 0.945 grams of unknown weak acid into water and made it up to
100 ml

Then we used 25 ml of that solution and titrated it until the end point.
Now , this is a monoprotic acid so it's going to take 1 mol of acid to neutralise 1 mol of base

22.1 ml of base was used
the conc of the base is 0.20 mol/l

So with this I can find the moles of acid and I got 4.42 x 10^-3

This is the part am unsure of , am I suppose to multiply that number of moles by 4 ?
because that was the number of moles there was in that 25 ml sample and we started it with 100 ml

If I do multiply by four I get 52
 
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EvilBunny said:
this is a monoprotic acid

I assume that information was given beforehand?

am I suppose to multiply that number of moles by 4 ?
because that was the number of moles there was in that 25 ml sample and we started it with 100 ml

Correct thinking.

If I do multiply by four I get 52

Strange, that's not the number I got, although my is very close. Perhaps you have rounded down some intermediate result?

Strange thing is I have no idea what acid could it possibly be, solid and with so low molar mass.
 
EvilBunny said:
(purpose is to find molar mass)

At the start we dissolved 0.945 grams of unknown weak acid into water and made it up to
100 ml

Then we used 25 ml of that solution and titrated it until the end point.
Now , this is a monoprotic acid so it's going to take 1 mol of acid to neutralise 1 mol of base

22.1 ml of base was used
the conc of the base is 0.20 mol/l

So with this I can find the moles of acid and I got 4.42 x 10^-3

This is the part am unsure of , am I suppose to multiply that number of moles by 4 ?
because that was the number of moles there was in that 25 ml sample and we started it with 100 ml

If I do multiply by four I get 52

Exactly how are you getting 52 , are you dividing the original grams by the mole result? If so you should be getting a much higher number.

EDIT- Never mind just realized that you sampled the original solution.
 
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Okay thanks for your replies the teacher said my answer is reasonable. I had 52 because of signaficative figures and a bunch of roundings.

As for the low molar mass the teacher said its an acid you wouldn't know . So something obscure and uncommon or something of the sort
 
EvilBunny said:
As for the low molar mass the teacher said its an acid you wouldn't know . So something obscure and uncommon or something of the sort

My bet is that in reality it was not monoprotic, so the real molar mass was something like 104. "Acid you wouldn't know" may work for beginning chemistry students, but some of us have seen many acids in their lifes :wink:
 
EvilBunny said:
Okay thanks for your replies the teacher said my answer is reasonable. I had 52 because of signaficative figures and a bunch of roundings.

As for the low molar mass the teacher said its an acid you wouldn't know . So something obscure and uncommon or something of the sort


My guess is that it could be some kind of an amine - ammonium chloride - except that the molecular weight would need to be referenced to the original compound that you weighed out , the acid itself is the ammonium. My guess is that this compound is relatively cheap making it a good candidate. It is also solid at room temperature.

It is a wild guess ... since this lab is for high school right?
 
Good idea, NH4Cl fits molar mass. A little bit twisted :smile:
 
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