Final answer:
To calculate the molality of a phosphoric acid solution, determine the molar mass, convert mass to moles, convert mass of water to kilograms, and divide moles of H3PO4 by kilograms of water. For a solution with 14.5 g H3PO4 in 125 g water, the molality is 1.184 m.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating Molality of H3PO4 Solution
To calculate the molality of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) in a solution, we need to follow these steps:
- Determine the molar mass of H3PO4, which is 97.994 g/mol by adding the atomic masses of its constituent elements (3 hydrogens, 1 phosphorous, and 4 oxygens).
- Convert the mass of H3PO4 in the solution to moles by dividing by the molar mass.
- Convert the mass of water from grams to kilograms since molality is moles of solute per kilogram of solvent.
- Finally, calculate the molality by dividing the moles of H3PO4 by the kilograms of water.
Now, let's apply these steps:
Mass of H3PO4: 14.5 g
Molar mass of H3PO4: 97.994 g/mol
Mass of water: 125 g = 0.125 kg (1 kg = 1000 g)
Moles of H3PO4 = 14.5 g / 97.994 g/mol = 0.148 mol
Molality of H3PO4 = Moles of H3PO4 / Mass of water in kg = 0.148 mol / 0.125 kg = 1.184 m (where 'm' stands for molal)
The molality of the phosphoric acid solution is therefore 1.184 m.