(a) By titration, 15.0 mL of 0.1008 M sodium hydroxide is needed to neutralize a 0.2053-g sample of a weak acid. What is the molar mass of the acid if it is monoprotic?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Write the balanced chemical equation for the neutralization reaction. For a monoprotic acid (HA) reacting with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), the equation is: HA + NaOH -> NaA + H2O.
2. Step 2: Calculate the moles of NaOH used in the titration. Use the formula: \( \text{moles of NaOH} = \text{volume (L)} \times \text{molarity (M)} \). Convert 15.0 mL to liters by dividing by 1000.
3. Step 3: Since the acid is monoprotic, the moles of acid (HA) will be equal to the moles of NaOH used, as the reaction is a 1:1 ratio.
4. Step 4: Calculate the molar mass of the acid. Use the formula: \( \text{molar mass} = \frac{\text{mass of acid (g)}}{\text{moles of acid}} \).
5. Step 5: Substitute the known values (mass of acid and moles of acid) into the molar mass formula to find the molar mass of the acid.

Key Concepts

Titration

Titration is a quantitative analytical technique used to determine the concentration of a solute in a solution. In this process, a solution of known concentration (the titrant) is gradually added to a solution of unknown concentration until the reaction reaches its endpoint, which is often indicated by a color change. This method is commonly used in acid-base reactions to find the amount of acid or base present in a sample.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). It is calculated by summing the atomic masses of all the atoms in a molecule. In the context of the question, determining the molar mass of the weak acid involves using the amount of acid neutralized by the known volume and concentration of sodium hydroxide during the titration.

Monoprotic Acid

A monoprotic acid is an acid that can donate only one proton (H⁺ ion) per molecule during a reaction. This characteristic simplifies the stoichiometry of acid-base reactions, as the number of moles of the acid will equal the number of moles of base at the equivalence point. In this case, knowing that the acid is monoprotic allows for straightforward calculations to find its molar mass based on the titration data.