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Ch.13 - Solutions
Chapter 13, Problem 58

Lead is a toxic metal that affects the central nervous system. A Pb-contaminated water sample contains 0.0011% Pb by mass. How much of the water (in mL) contains 150 mg of Pb? (Assume a density of 1.0 g/mL.)

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Mass Percentage

Mass percentage is a way of expressing the concentration of a component in a mixture. It is calculated by dividing the mass of the component by the total mass of the mixture and multiplying by 100. In this case, the mass percentage of lead (Pb) in the water sample is 0.0011%, indicating that for every 100 grams of the sample, there are 0.0011 grams of Pb.
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Density

Density is defined as mass per unit volume and is a critical property in chemistry for converting between mass and volume. In this problem, the density of the water is given as 1.0 g/mL, which means that 1 mL of water has a mass of 1 gram. This relationship allows us to convert the mass of lead into the corresponding volume of water.
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Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another. In this question, we need to convert the mass of lead (150 mg) into grams and then use the mass percentage to find the total mass of the water sample that contains this amount of lead. Understanding how to perform these conversions is essential for solving the problem accurately.
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