What Is the Molarity of a Sulfuric Acid Solution Neutralized by NaOH?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the molarity of a sulfuric acid solution that is neutralized by sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Participants explore the stoichiometry involved in the neutralization reaction and share their approaches to solving the problem, which is framed as a chemistry homework question.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents the neutralization equation: 2NaOH + H2SO4 ==> Na2SO4 + H2O, suggesting it as a starting point for the calculation.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about where to begin and seeks confirmation on the approach.
  • A participant explains that the reaction requires neutralizing both equivalents of sulfuric acid and emphasizes using the balanced equation to establish relationships between moles and molarity.
  • One participant describes their process of converting the volume of NaOH to moles and applying stoichiometric ratios to find the moles of sulfuric acid, ultimately calculating a molarity of 0.1M for the H2SO4 solution.
  • Another participant acknowledges the clarity of the steps taken by the original poster and encourages identifying important mathematical relationships in word problems.
  • There is a side conversation about the official title of the chemistry course, with participants speculating on what "Chem 2" might entail and discussing the perceived difficulty of the problem in relation to the course level.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the approach to solving the problem using stoichiometry and the balanced chemical equation, but there is no consensus on the exact nature of the course "Chem 2" or its content.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the initial steps in solving the problem, and there is a lack of clarity regarding the course content and level, which may influence the understanding of the problem.

h20h
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This is the question: If 20 mL of a 0.3M solution of NaOH is required to neutralize 30.0 mL of a sulfuric acid solution, what is the molarity of the acid solution?

I just need to get pointed in the right direction and then just some simple steps from there...

Thanks
H20h
 
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Do you mean like this:

2NaOH + H2SO4 ==> Na2SO4 + H2O ?
 
I am not sure? is that where I should start?
 
h20h said:
I am not sure? is that where I should start?
If you had to ask, then I would say, "probably so" (meaning I believe, "yes"). Your level of understanding seems to be near introductory, so you are interested in complete neutralization. You are interested in neutralizing both equivalents of acid. Use ratios from the balanced reaction equation. This means that one formula unit of sulfuric acid matches two formula units of sodium hydroxide.

If M is molarity, and V is volume, then M*V for sodium hydroxide will equal M*V for sulfuric acid. M_b V_b = 2 M_a V_a

(another attempt at typesetting; I hope it works)
 
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I am taking Chem 2 in college right now but I HATE word problems I never really know where to start...so using the equation you have above I would just plug in the values that were given and then rearrange to find the missing component?

I went from liters of NaOH to moles of NaOH =.006 moles of NaOH

stoich: 2 moles of NaOH: 1 mole of H2SO4

moles of NaOH to moles of H2SO4= .003 moles of H2SO4

then divided the moles of H2SO4 by .03 liters and got = .1M H2SO4 solution
 
Last edited:
...Looks good, h20h. You broke the description into smaller steps.

That word problem as you presented it, is not very complicated in its worded form. Always identify the important mathematical relationships and laws; write equations and expressions for what you know; analyze the relationships and arrange an answer in the form of symbols.

What is the exact name of the course which you call, "Chem 2"?
 
It's just called CHEM 2 (I am not lying here LOL)

Thanks so much for your help I really appreciate it a lot
 
h20h said:
It's just called CHEM 2 (I am not lying here LOL)

Thanks so much for your help I really appreciate it a lot
h20h,
The course "Chem 2" must have an official descriptive title. "Chem 2" alone is not enough. I really AM interested to know what the course name is. Check the college catalogue; check the course schedule for this current term. Your Chem 2 course might not be a typical degree credit course, but still an official name is expected. With the kind of question you asked, the correct descriptive name might me something like "Introductory Chemistry", or "Elementary Chemistry"; but probably not "analytical chemistry" and not "quantitative chemistry" and not "principles of chemistry" and certainly not "General Chemistry". Could you give a list of topics for the course, or a syllabus?
 
Actually, I would guess that it is general chem. 2 that h2oh is in. I don't think they mess with an intro. to chem. 2.
However, the problem does seem a bit easy for gen. chem. 2, but after a bunch of hard classes, maybe it's a question of perspective.
 

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