How Do You Calculate The Concentration Of Ions?
When a salt, known as the “solute,” is dissolved in a solvent, it undergoes a process in which the positive and negative ions of the salt separate. This process is called “dissociation.” The concentrations of the ions depend on the ratio in which they were present in the salt before dissolution and on the amount of solvent in which they have been dissolved. The concentrations are mostly commonly expressed in units of molarity, or moles per liter. Identify the positive and negative ions in the compound. This may require familiarization with the formulas and charges of common ions. Tables of common ions, such as the one at the University of California, Santa Cruz website, are widely available. Verify that the compound is soluble in the given solvent. This may require referring to the “solubility rules,” such as those found at the Clackamas Community College website. Write a balanced chemical equation for the dissociation, or splitting, of the ions. Note that polyatomic ions, such as phos
