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Grade 12Physical Chemistry

A solution contains 1 mole of water and 4 mole of ethanol .the mole fraction of water and ethanol will be

Profile image of Vaibhav Singhal hu
8 Years agoGrade 12
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1 Answer

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ApprovedApproved Tutor Answer1 Year ago

To find the mole fractions of water and ethanol in the solution, we first need to understand what mole fraction means. The mole fraction is a way of expressing the concentration of a component in a mixture. It is calculated by dividing the number of moles of that component by the total number of moles of all components in the solution.

Calculating Total Moles

In your solution, you have:

  • 1 mole of water
  • 4 moles of ethanol

To find the total number of moles in the solution, we simply add the moles of each component together:

Total moles = moles of water + moles of ethanol

Total moles = 1 mole + 4 moles = 5 moles

Finding Mole Fractions

Now that we have the total moles, we can calculate the mole fractions for both water and ethanol.

Mole Fraction of Water

The mole fraction of water (Xwater) is calculated as follows:

Xwater = moles of water / total moles

Xwater = 1 mole / 5 moles = 0.2

Mole Fraction of Ethanol

Similarly, the mole fraction of ethanol (Xethanol) is:

Xethanol = moles of ethanol / total moles

Xethanol = 4 moles / 5 moles = 0.8

Summary of Results

To summarize, the mole fractions in your solution are:

  • Mole fraction of water (Xwater): 0.2
  • Mole fraction of ethanol (Xethanol): 0.8

This means that in your solution, 20% of the moles are water, and 80% are ethanol. Understanding mole fractions is crucial in various fields, including chemistry and chemical engineering, as it helps in determining the properties of solutions and their behavior in different conditions.