Molarity vs. Concentration: What's the Difference?

In summary, concentration is a measure of the amount of something in something, and can be expressed in various ways such as molarity, molality, and mass/volume fraction. Molarity and molality are measures of concentration, with molarity being temperature dependent and molality being temperature independent. They are not "special cases," but rather specific ways of measuring concentration.
  • #1
Any Help
79
2
Concentration measures the number of moles of solute per liter of solution, besides that it can be used to measures also the ratio of mass per liter.
Molarity also measures the number of mole of a solute per liter of solution.
Then what is the difference between these two definitions? They seem to be alike.
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
  • #2
Any Help said:
Concentration measures the number of moles of solute per liter of solution

No, concentration is a measure of amount of something in something. It doesn't have to be expressed in moles per liter, there are many ways to express the concentration (most common ones being molarity, molality, mass/volume fraction - often expressed in terms of percentage or parts per something - and molar fraction).

Molarity is much more narrow term than the concentration.
 
  • #3
Any Help said:
Then what is the difference between these two definitions? They seem to be alike.
"They" lack a specification of temperature.
 
  • #4
Borek said:
No, concentration is a measure of amount of something in something. It doesn't have to be expressed in moles per liter, there are many ways to express the concentration (most common ones being molarity, molality, mass/volume fraction - often expressed in terms of percentage or parts per something - and molar fraction).

Molarity is much more narrow term than the concentration.
Then molarity, molality ... Are only special cases of concentration?
 
  • #5
Any Help said:
Then molarity, molality ... Are only special cases of concentration?

You can put it that way.
 
  • #6
Any Help said:
Then molarity, molality ... Are only special cases of concentration?
They are not "special cases," they are measures of concentration.
 
  • #7
"Molarity," M, is temperature dependent, and "molality," m, is temperature independent.
 
  • #8
DrClaude said:
They are not "special cases," they are measures of concentration.

Perhaps "specific cases" would be better?

I have a feeling some nuances are lost in translation between my thinking and my English :/
 

1. What is molarity?

Molarity is a unit of concentration that measures the number of moles of a substance per liter of solution. It is commonly denoted as mol/L or M.

2. How is molarity calculated?

Molarity is calculated by dividing the number of moles of solute by the volume of the solution in liters. The formula for molarity is M = moles of solute / liters of solution.

3. What is the difference between molarity and molality?

Molarity and molality are both units of concentration, but they differ in how they are measured. Molarity is based on the volume of the solution, while molality is based on the mass of the solvent. Molarity is also affected by changes in temperature, while molality is not.

4. How do you convert between molarity and molality?

To convert from molarity to molality, you need to know the density of the solution and the molecular weight of the solvent. You can use the formula molality = molarity / (density of solution * molecular weight of solvent). To convert from molality to molarity, you can use the formula molarity = molality * (density of solution * molecular weight of solvent).

5. Why is molarity important in chemistry?

Molarity is important in chemistry because it is a way to express the concentration of a solution, which is a key factor in many chemical reactions and processes. It allows scientists to accurately measure and manipulate the amount of a substance in a solution, which is crucial for experiments and industrial applications.

Similar threads

Questions about the common-ion effect
    • Chemistry
Replies
4
Views
818
Calculate the HCl concentration in H2O from the conductivity
    • Chemistry
Replies
5
Views
4K
Why is my homemade alkaline water not reaching the expected pH level?
    • Chemistry
Replies
14
Views
2K
Beer's law experiment - parameters
    • Chemistry
Replies
7
Views
2K
Diff b/w molar electrolytic conductivity and conductivity
    • Chemistry
Replies
1
Views
1K
I How can concentration gradient field come into existence immediately?
    • Other Physics Topics
Replies
0
Views
329
Gram atomic mass -- what exactly is it?
    • Chemistry
Replies
6
Views
1K
Standard Activity in Electrochemistry
    • Chemistry
Replies
2
Views
855
Concentration of water vs. equilibrium
    • Chemistry
Replies
7
Views
3K
Diffusion, Migration and Einstein Equation
    • Chemistry
Replies
13
Views
1K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top