Question

A chemist wishes to mix a solution that is 12% acid. She has on hand 8 itters of a 8% acid solution and wishes to add some 16% acid solution to obtain the desired 12% acid solution. How much 16% acid solution should she add?

Answer 1

To obtain a 12% acid solution, the chemist needs to mix 8 liters of 8% acid solution with 1 liter of 16% acid solution.

Step-by-step explanation:

To obtain a 12% acid solution, the chemist needs to mix the 8% acid solution with a certain amount of 16% acid solution. Let's assume she needs to add 'x' liters of the 16% acid solution.

The total volume of the final solution will be 8 liters + 'x' liters. The amount of acid in the 8% solution is 0.08 * 8 = 0.64 liters. The amount of acid in the 16% solution is 0.16 * 'x' = 0.16x liters.

For the final 12% acid solution, the total amount of acid should be 0.12 * (8 + 'x') liters. Setting up the equation:

0.64 + 0.16x = 0.12 * (8 + 'x')

Solving for 'x', we get 'x' = 1 liter.

Therefore, the chemist needs to add 1 liter of the 16% acid solution to obtain the desired 12% acid solution.