What volume must the final solution reach if you want to make a "0.01 N" oxalic acid solution in water using "126 g" of oxalic acid solid?

1 Answer
Aug 12, 2017

I got "280. L", if the oxalic acid was anhydrous.

However, it typically is purchased as a dihydrate, "H"_2"C"_2"O"_4cdot2"H"_2"O", so if that is what you are looking for, then it would be ul"200. L".


Normality for acids is defined with respect to the "H"^(+) the acid gives into solution. "0.01 N" oxalic acid therefore would indicate a "0.01 M" concentration for "H"^(+) given to solution, and so, it would actually be "0.005 M", as it is a diprotic acid.

Oxalic acid has a molar mass of "90.03 g/mol", but the dihydrate equivalent would have a molar mass of "126.06 g/mol", so the mols we have are:

126 cancel"g OA" xx "1 mol OA"/(126.06 cancel"g") = "0.9995 mols"

These mols are dissolved in the appropriate volume V such that

"0.9995 mols"/V = "0.005 mols"/"L" " oxalic acid"

Therefore, the volume the solution must reach by the time the "126 g" of oxalic acid is dissolved is...

V = (0.9995 cancel"mols OA")/(0.005 cancel"mols""/L") = "199.9 L"

To three sig figs, it would be...

color(blue)(V = "200. L")