Automobile batteries contain sulfuric acid, which is commonly referred to as “battery acid.” Calculate the number of grams of sulfuric acid in 1.00 gal of battery acid if the solution has a density of 1.28 g/mL and is 38.1% sulfuric acid by mass.

Key Concepts

Density

Density is defined as mass per unit volume and is typically expressed in grams per milliliter (g/mL) or kilograms per liter (kg/L). In this context, the density of the battery acid solution is given as 1.28 g/mL, which means that every milliliter of the solution weighs 1.28 grams. Understanding density is crucial for converting volume measurements (like gallons) into mass, which is necessary for calculating the amount of sulfuric acid present.

Mass Percent Concentration

Mass percent concentration indicates the mass of a solute (in this case, sulfuric acid) relative to the total mass of the solution, expressed as a percentage. Here, the solution is 38.1% sulfuric acid by mass, meaning that 38.1 grams of sulfuric acid are present in every 100 grams of the solution. This concept is essential for determining how much sulfuric acid is contained in the total mass of the battery acid solution after converting the volume to mass.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another set of units. In this problem, it involves converting gallons to milliliters (1 gallon = 3,785.41 mL) to use the given density for mass calculations. Mastery of unit conversion is vital in chemistry to ensure that calculations are accurate and consistent across different measurement systems.