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.

Verified step by step guidance

Convert the volume from gallons to milliliters using the conversion factor: 1 gallon = 3,785.41 mL.

Calculate the total mass of the battery acid solution using the formula: mass = volume \( \times \) density.

Determine the mass of sulfuric acid in the solution by multiplying the total mass of the solution by the percentage of sulfuric acid (38.1%).

Ensure the units are consistent throughout the calculations, especially when converting between gallons and milliliters.

Review the steps to ensure all conversions and calculations align with the given data and chemical principles.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.

Video duration:

Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

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

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.

Recommended video:

Guided course

01:56

Conversion Factors

Related Practice

Textbook Question

Water has a density of 0.997 g/cm³ at 25 °C; ice has a density of 0.917 g/cm³ at -10 °C. (a) If a soft-drink bottle whose volume is 1.50 L is completely filled with water and then frozen to -10 °C, what volume does the ice occupy? (b) Can the ice be contained within the bottle?

Textbook Question

A 32.65-g sample of a solid is placed in a flask. Toluene, in which the solid is insoluble, is added to the flask so that the total volume of solid and liquid together is 50.00 mL. The solid and toluene together weigh 58.58 g. The density of toluene at the temperature of the experiment is 0.864 g/mL. What is the density of the solid?

views

Textbook Question

Gold is alloyed (mixed) with other metals to increase its hardness in making jewelry. (a) Consider a piece of gold jewelry that weighs 9.85 g and has a volume of 0.675 cm3. The jewelry contains only gold and silver, which have densities of 19.3 and 10.5 g/cm³, respectively. If the total volume of the jewelry is the sum of the volumes of the gold and silver that it contains, calculate the percentage of gold (by mass) in the jewelry. (b) The relative amount of gold in an alloy is commonly expressed in units of carats. Pure gold is 24 carat, and the percentage of gold in an alloy is given as a percentage of this value. For example, an alloy that is 50% gold is 12 carat. State the purity of the gold jewelry in carats.