Final answer:
To calculate the mass percent of NaCl in the solution, divide the mass of NaCl (51.69 g) by the total mass of the solution (51.69 g NaCl + 171.8 g H2O) and then multiply by 100%; the result is a mass percent of approximately 23.14%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the mass percent (m/m) of a solution, you need the mass of the solute (in this case, NaCl) and the mass of the solvent (H2O). The mass percent is the mass of the solute divided by the total mass of the solution (solute plus solvent) times 100%. The formula is:
Mass Percent = (Mass of Solute / (Mass of Solute + Mass of Solvent)) × 100%
Using the given data, we have:
Mass of NaCl = 51.69 g
Mass of H2O = 171.8 g
Total Mass of Solution = 51.69 g + 171.8 g = 223.49 g
Now, we can substitute these values into the formula:
Mass Percent of NaCl = (51.69 g / 223.49 g) × 100%
Calculating the above expression gives:
Mass Percent of NaCl ≈ 23.14%
Therefore, the mass percent of NaCl in the solution is approximately 23.14%.