Final answer:
When measuring the total amount of anything dissolved in a solution, we use the concept of concentration. Concentration is a quantitative measure of the relative amounts of solute and solvent present in a solution. Molarity is a common way to express concentration, calculated as moles of solute divided by the volume of the solution.
Step-by-step explanation:
When measuring the total amount of anything dissolved in a solution, we use the concept of concentration. Concentration is a quantitative measure of the relative amounts of solute and solvent present in a solution. One common way to express concentration is through molarity, which is the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.
To determine molarity, we need to know the total volume of the entire solution, including both solute and solvent. For example, if 0.24 mol of NaOH is dissolved in 0.500 L of solution, the concentration can be calculated as follows:
Molarity (M) = moles of solute / volume of solution (in liters)