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Automobile batteries are filled with an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. What is the mass of the acid (in grams) in 800 mL of the battery acid solution if the density of the solution is 1.285 and the solution is 38.08% sulfuric acid by mass?

a. 244 g H2SO4
b. 310 g H2SO4
c. 185 g H2SO4
d. 420 g H2SO4

User Fracpete
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

To find the mass of sulfuric acid in 800 mL of a battery acid solution with a density of 1.285 g/mL and 38.08% sulfuric acid by mass, you multiply the volume by the density to get the total mass of the solution and then apply the percentage to find the acid's mass. The calculated result is approximately 392 g.

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating the Mass of Sulfuric Acid in a Battery Solution

The student is asking about the mass of sulfuric acid in an aqueous solution used in automobile batteries. We need to calculate the mass of sulfuric acid in 800 mL of the battery acid solution with a known density and percentage composition by mass.

Density of the solution: 1.285 g/mL
Volume of the solution: 800 mL
Percentage by mass of H2SO4: 38.08%

To find the mass of the solution, we multiply the volume by the density:

Mass of solution = Density × Volume

Mass of solution = 1.285 g/mL × 800 mL

The total mass of the solution is 1028 g. Now we use the percentage by mass to find the mass of H2SO4 in the solution:

Mass of H2SO4 = Total mass of solution × Percentage of H2SO4 by mass / 100

Mass of H2SO4 = 1028 g × 38.08% / 100

Mass of H2SO4 = 391.62 g

By rounding to the nearest whole number, we get that the mass of the acid is approximately 392 g, which is not one of the provided answers. Therefore, there could be a miscalculation or a typo in the provided options.

User Tanoh
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