GCSE Chemistry  ›  C3.2 Concentration of solutions

Concentration of solutions

Free AQA GCSE Chemistry practice questions on Concentration of solutions. Sample questions below with detailed mark schemes — sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.

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Compare — 3 marks

A student is preparing two sugar solutions for a school experiment. Solution A contains 15 g of sugar dissolved in 500 cm³ of water. Solution B contains 30 g of sugar dissolved in 1000 cm³ of water.

  1. Calculate the concentration of sugar in Solution A in g/dm³. [1 mark]
  2. Calculate the concentration of sugar in Solution B in g/dm³. [1 mark]
  3. Compare the concentrations of the two solutions. Explain your answer. [1 mark]
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Calculate — 5 marks

A student is preparing a series of sodium chloride solutions for an experiment investigating the effect of salt concentration on the boiling point of water. They need to make 500 cm³ of a 2.0 mol/dm³ sodium chloride solution, then dilute it to create a 0.5 mol/dm³ solution.

  1. Calculate the mass of sodium chloride needed to prepare 500 cm³ of a 2.0 mol/dm³ solution. (Relative atomic masses: Na = 23, Cl = 35.5) [2 marks]
  2. The student dilutes 150 cm³ of the 2.0 mol/dm³ solution with distilled water to make it up to 600 cm³. Calculate the new concentration of the diluted solution. [2 marks]
  3. Explain why the student should use a volumetric flask rather than a measuring cylinder when preparing the original 2.0 mol/dm³ solution, and state what would be the effect on the calculated concentration if a measuring cylinder was used instead. [1 mark]
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  • Molar mass of NaCl = 58.5 g/mol (or 23 + 35.5) [1 mark]
  • Mass = concentration × volume × molar mass = 2.0 × 0.5 × 58.5 = 58.5 g [1 mark]
  • Use of dilution equation: C₁V₁ = C₂V₂ or correct rearrangement [1 mark]
  • 2.0 × 150 = C₂ × 600; C₂ = 0.5 mol/dm³ [1 mark]
  • Volumetric flask has greater accuracy/precision than measuring cylinder AND if measuring cylinder used, the actual concentration would be lower/less accurate because the volume would be less precise/accurate [1 mark]

Explain — 4 marks

A student is preparing salt solutions of different strengths for a chemistry experiment. They dissolve 10 g of salt in 100 cm³ of water to make solution A, and 10 g of salt in 200 cm³ of water to make solution B.

  1. Explain why solution A has a higher concentration than solution B. [2 marks]
  2. The student wants to make solution A more dilute. Explain what they should do and why this would decrease the concentration. [2 marks]
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Calculate — 5 marks

A student is preparing a series of dilute solutions in a chemistry laboratory. They need to make a sodium chloride solution for an experiment. The student has access to a concentrated stock solution of sodium chloride with a concentration of 2.5 mol/dm³ and distilled water. They require 250 cm³ of a solution with a concentration of 0.40 mol/dm³.

  1. Calculate the volume of concentrated sodium chloride stock solution needed to prepare 250 cm³ of a 0.40 mol/dm³ solution. Give your answer in cm³ to 2 significant figures. [2 marks]
  2. The student dilutes the stock solution by adding 35.0 cm³ of the concentrated sodium chloride solution to distilled water in a 500 cm³ volumetric flask. Calculate the concentration of the resulting solution in mol/dm³. [2 marks]
  3. Explain why using a volumetric flask and diluting to the mark is important for preparing solutions of accurate concentration. [1 mark]
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Calculate — 2 marks

A student is preparing a sodium chloride solution for a food preservation experiment. The student dissolves 5.0 g of sodium chloride in water to make 250 cm³ of solution.

  1. (01.1) Calculate the mass of sodium chloride dissolved in 1 dm³ of this solution. Give your answer in grams. [1 mark]
  2. (01.2) The concentration of the solution can also be expressed in g/dm³. Calculate the concentration of the sodium chloride solution in g/dm³. [1 mark]
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  • (01.1) 20 (g)
  • (01.2) 20 (g/dm³)
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