Solutions –

Introduction –
“A solution in chemistry is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances, where
one substance (the solute) is uniformly dispersed in another (the solvent) at the molecular or
ionic level.”

Solution –
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more components.

Solution → Solute + Solvent

• Solute – The substance that is dissolved in the solvent

Examples : – Salt in water

• Solvent – The medium in which the solute is dissolved

Examples: – Water for a salt solution

• Homogeneous Mixture – In a solution, the composition is uniform throughout, meaning the

ratio of solute to solvent is the same in every sample taken from the solution.

Examples: Sugar dissolved in water, Copper sulfate solution, Air (mixture of gases like oxygen,
nitrogen, CO₂), Brass (alloy of copper and zinc), Alcohol + water solution
 Heterogeneous Mixture – A heterogeneous mixture is a mixture in which the composition is
not uniform throughout, and the different components can be seen separately or exist in different
phases.

Examples: Oil and water , Sand and water

Solution Classification –
Solutions in chemistry are classified in several ways based on different criteria –
Physical state, solvent type, and solute concentration.

1) Physical State –
Solutions can form between solids, liquids, and gases, leading to nine combinations depending
on the states of solute and solvent.
Types of Solution Solute Solvent Common
Examples

Gaseous Solution Gas Gas Oxygen

and nitrogen gas mixture
Liquid Gas A
mixture of chloroform and

nitrogen gas
Solid Gas
Nitrogen gas with camphor

Liquid Solution Gas Liquid Water

with oxygen dissolved in it.
Liquid Liquid
Ethanol is a liquid that can be

dissolved in water
Solid Liquid
Glucose dissolved in water

Solid Solution Gas Solid

Hydrogen solution in palladium.
Liquid Solid
Amalgam of mercury with sodium.
Solid Solid
Copper dissolved in gold

Classification by Solvent Type –

• Aqueous Solution – The solvent is water, like salt in water or copper sulfate in water.

• Non-Aqueous Solution – The solvent is not water.

For example – iodine in carbon tetrachloride or sulfur in carbon disulfide.

Classification by Concentration –

Based on how much solute is dissolved at a given temperature.

• Unsaturated Solution – Can still dissolve more solute at that temperature.

• Saturated Solution – Contains the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve.

Classification by Dilution –

• Dilute Solution – Contains a small amount of solute compared to solvent.

• Concentrated Solution – Contains a large amount of solute in relation to the solvent.

Mass Percentage (% w/w) –

“It denotes the mass of a component in 100 g of solution.”

Mass % of a component =Mass of component in the solution\Total mass of

solution × 100

Example - 10 g of NaCl is dissolved in 90 g of water.

10 / 100 × 100 = 10%

Volume Percentage (% v/v) –

“It represents the volume of a component in a solution of 100 mL.”

Volume % of a component =

Volume of component\Total volume of solution × 100

Example – 20 mL of alcohol is mixed with water to make 100 mL of solution.
20×100 / 100 = 20%

Mass by Volume Percentage (% w/v) –

“It represents how many grams of solute are present in 100 mL of solution.”

Mass by volume percentage =

Mass of solute (g)× 100 \Volume of solution (mL)

Example –
If 50 g of sugar is dissolved to make 700 mL of solution, the mass by volume percentage is:

50 × 100 / 700 = 7.14%

Parts per million (ppm) –

1 ppm means 1 unit (such as milligram) of solute is present in 106 of the entire solution.

ppm =

Mass of solute \ Mass of solution × 106

• PPM is most useful for reporting trace amounts of contaminants or solutes, such as pollutants
in water, chemicals in air, or minerals in soil.

• For example, 3 ppm of fluoride in water means there are 3 mg of fluoride in 1 L of water.

Mole Fraction (χ) –

“It is defined as the ratio of the number of moles of the component to the total number of moles
of all the components in the mixture.”

χ = Number of moles of the component \ Total number of moles of all the

components

• If a solution contains components A and B, the mole fraction of each component is calculated
as:
χA = nA / nA + nB

χB = nB / nA + nB

• In general, for a multicomponent system:

χi = ni \sum ni

where ni is the number of moles of the i-th component of the mixture.

• The sum of all mole fractions in a mixture is always equal to 1.

Sum χi = 1

Example –
If a gas mixture contains 1 mole of oxygen and 3 moles of nitrogen,

χO2 = 1/ 1+3 = 0.25,

χN2 = 3 / 1+3 = 0.75

Thus, oxygen has a mole fraction of 0.25 and nitrogen 0.75.

Molarity (M) –

Molarity is the total number of moles of solute contained in one liter (L) of solution.
It is expressed in units of moles per liter (mol/L) or simply “Molar” (M).

M = Moles of solute \ Volume of solution in liters

• Moles of solute can be calculated by dividing the mass of the solute by its molar mass.

Moles = Mass of solute (g)\Molar mass (g/mol)

Example –
If 58 g of NaCl (molar mass = 58.44 g/mol) are dissolved in enough water to make 1 liter of
solution, the molarity is:

Moles of NaCl = 58 / 58.44 = 0.993 mol

M = 0.993 mol / 1 L = 0.993M

• The density of a solution is its mass per unit volume.

Density –

d = Mass of solution \Volume of solution = \M / V

Molality (m) –

The number of moles of solute present per kilogram of solvent.

• It is independent of temperature and pressure because it is based solely on the mass of the
solvent, not the volume of the solution.

m = Moles of solute\Kilograms of solvent

Example –
Suppose 0.5 moles of solute are dissolved in 0.2 kg of solvent, then the molality is:

m = 0.5 / 0.2 = 2.5 mol/kg

Normality (N) –

The number of solute equivalents in 1 litre of solution.

N = Number of equivalents of solute\Volume of solution in L

• Number of equivalents (eq.):

No. of equivalents = Weight (w)\Equivalent weight (E)

• Equivalent weight:

E = M / Z

(where Z is the valency factor)

Some Important Relationships –

Dilution law –
When we dilute a solution with solvent, the solute concentration remains constant, and we can
write:

M1V1 = M2V2 And N1V1 = N2V2

Relation between Molarity and Normality –

Normality = Z × Molarity
Important –
Temperature has no effect on mass percent, ppm, mole
fraction, or molality, but it does affect molarity and
normality.
This is because temperature affects volume but has no effect on
mass.

EXERCISE

1. A solution is a
A) Heterogeneous mixture
B) Homogeneous mixture
C) Colloid
D) Suspension
2. In a solution, the substance present in larger amount is called
A) Solute
B) Solvent
C) Mixture
D) Residue
3. Which of the following is a homogeneous mixture?
A) Sand + water
B) Oil + water
C) Salt + water
D) Soil
4. Air is an example of
A) Liquid solution
B) Solid solution
C) Gaseous solution
D) Colloidal solution
5. Brass is a solution of
A) Solid in liquid
B) Liquid in solid
C) Solid in solid
D) Gas in solid
6. Which of the following is NOT a solution?
A) Sugar in water
B) Copper sulphate in water
C) Milk
D) Alcohol in water
7. The composition of a homogeneous mixture is
A) Variable
B) Non-uniform
 C) Uniform
D) Random
8. Which component decides the physical state of a solution?
A) Solute
B) Solvent
C) Both
D) None
9. A solution containing gas in liquid is
A) Soda water
B) Air
C) Brass
D) Steel
10. Solution is composed of
A) Only solute
B) Only solvent
C) Solute + solvent
D) Solute + residue

11. Hydrogen dissolved in palladium is an example of

A) Liquid solution
B) Solid solution
C) Gaseous solution
D) Colloid
12. Which is an aqueous solution?
A) Iodine in CCl₄
B) Sulphur in CS₂
C) NaCl in water
D) Benzene in alcohol
13. Non-aqueous solution means solvent is
A) Water
B) Solid
C) Not water
D) Gas
14. Ethanol + water is an example of
A) Solid in liquid
B) Liquid in liquid
C) Gas in liquid
D) Solid in solid
15. Oxygen dissolved in water is
A) Gas in gas
B) Liquid in gas
C) Gas in liquid
D) Solid in liquid
16. Copper dissolved in gold is
A) Alloy
B) Suspension
 C) Colloid
D) Emulsion
17. Which is a solid solution?
A) Air
B) Soda water
C) Brass
D) Sugar solution
18. Gas + gas solution example is
A) Air
B) Milk
C) Brass
D) Fog
19. Liquid + solid solution example is
A) Amalgam
B) Air
C) Steel
D) Smoke
20. Total possible combinations of solute–solvent states are
A) 3
B) 6
C) 9
D) 12

21. Mass percentage is defined as mass of solute in

A) 100 g solute
B) 100 g solvent
C) 100 g solution
D) 1 L solution
22. Volume percentage represents volume of component in
A) 1 L solution
B) 100 mL solution
C) 1 g solution
D) 10 mL solution
23. % w/v expresses
A) g solute per 100 g solution
B) g solute per 100 mL solution
C) mL solute per 100 mL solution
D) mL solute per 100 g solution
24. ppm is used for measuring
A) High concentration
B) Moderate concentration
C) Trace concentration
D) Saturation
25. 1 ppm means
A) 1 g in 10⁶ g
B) 1 mg in 10⁶ mg
 C) 1 mg in 1 kg
D) All are correct
26. ppm is commonly used in
A) Alloy preparation
B) Water pollution
C) Metallurgy
D) Electrolysis
27. Mole fraction is denoted by
A) m
B) M
C) χ
D) N
28. Sum of mole fractions of all components is
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) Depends
29. Mole fraction is independent of
A) Mass
B) Temperature
C) Pressure
D) Volume
30. Mole fraction has
A) Unit
B) No unit
C) kg/mol
D) mol/L
31. Unsaturated solution can
A) Dissolve more solute
B) Dissolve no solute
C) Precipitate solute
D) Decompose
32. Saturated solution contains
A) No solute
B) Minimum solute
C) Maximum solute
D) Excess solvent
33. Dilute solution contains
A) More solute
B) Less solvent
C) Less solute
D) No solvent
34. Concentrated solution has
A) Small amount of solute
B) Large amount of solute
 C) No solute
D) Only solvent
35. Which term depends on temperature?
A) Mole fraction
B) Molality
C) Mass %
D) Molarity

36. Molarity is defined as moles of solute per

A) kg solvent
B) g solvent
C) L solution
D) mL solution
37. Unit of molarity is
A) mol/kg
B) mol/L
C) g/L
D) eq/L
38. Molality depends on
A) Volume
B) Mass
C) Temperature
D) Pressure
39. Molality is independent of
A) Mass
B) Volume
C) Temperature
D) Solute
40. Molality unit is
A) mol/L
B) mol/kg
C) g/mol
D) eq/L
41. Normality is related to
A) Molecular weight
B) Equivalent weight
C) Density
D) Volume
42. Normality unit is
A) mol/L
B) mol/kg
C) eq/L
D) g/L
43. Relation between Normality and Molarity is
A) N = M/Z
B) N = Z × M
 C) M = N × Z
D) M = N/Z
44. Z factor depends on
A) Temperature
B) Pressure
C) Reaction
D) Volume
45. Equivalent weight =
A) M × Z
B) M/Z
C) Z/M
D) M + Z
46. Density =
A) V/M
B) M×V
C) M/V
D) V/M²
47. Dilution law is
A) M₁+V₁=M₂+V₂
B) M₁V₁=M₂V₂
C) M₁/M₂=V₁/V₂
D) M₁−V₁=M₂−V₂
48. Normality dilution formula is
A) N₁+V₁=N₂+V₂
B) N₁V₁=N₂V₂
C) N₁/N₂=V₁/V₂
D) N₁−V₁=N₂−V₂
49. Which concentration changes with temperature?
A) Molality
B) Mole fraction
C) Molarity
D) Mass %
50. Which does NOT change with temperature?
A) Molarity
B) Normality
C) Molality
D) Volume %

56. If 1 mole O₂ and 3 moles N₂ are present, χ(O₂) is

A) 0.25
B) 0.5
C) 0.75
D) 1
57. χ(N₂) in above mixture is
A) 0.25
B) 0.5
 C) 0.75
D) 1
58. 58.44 g NaCl dissolved in 1 L gives molarity
A) 1 M
B) 0.5 M
C) 0.993 M
D) 2 M
59. Molality is preferred over molarity because it is
A) Easier
B) Temperature independent
C) Faster
D) Cheaper
60. ppm is best for
A) Sugar solution
B) Acid solution
C) Pollutants
D) All solutions
61. 3 ppm fluoride means
A) 3 g/L
B) 3 mg/L
C) 3 μg/L
D) 3 kg/L
62. Mass % depends on
A) Volume
B) Temperature
C) Mass
D) Pressure
63. Volume % depends on
A) Mass
B) Volume
C) Moles
D) Equivalents
64. Alloy is an example of
A) Colloid
B) Suspension
C) Solid solution
D) Liquid solution
65. Which is NOT affected by temperature?
A) Molality
B) Molarity
C) Normality
D) Volume
66. Which has no unit?
A) Molarity
B) Molality
 C) Mole fraction
D) Normality
67. Which concentration term uses equivalent concept?
A) Molality
B) Molarity
C) Normality
D) ppm
68. Saturated solution at given temperature
A) Can dissolve more
B) Cannot dissolve more
C) Has no solute
D) Is unstable
69. Dilute solution means
A) Less solute
B) More solute
C) No solvent
D) Equal solute
70. Solution chapter is important mainly for
A) Physical chemistry
B) Organic chemistry
C) Inorganic chemistry
D) Nuclear chemistry

Answer Key (Short)

1-B, 2-B, 3-C, 4-C, 5-C, 6-C, 7-C, 8-B, 9-A, 10-C
11-B, 12-C, 13-C, 14-B, 15-C, 16-A, 17-C, 18-A, 19-A, 20-C
21-C, 22-B, 23-B, 24-C, 25-D, 26-B, 27-C, 28-B, 29-B, 30-B
31-A, 32-C, 33-C, 34-B, 35-D 36-C, 37-B, 38-B, 39-C, 40-B, 41-B, 42-C, 43-B, 44-C, 45-B
46-C, 47-B, 48-B, 49-C, 50-C 56-A, 57-C, 58-C, 59-B, 60-C, 61-B, 62-C, 63-B, 64-C, 65-A
66-C, 67-C, 68-B, 69-A, 70-A

PAST YEAR QUESTION

1. A solution is a
A) Heterogeneous mixture
B) Homogeneous mixture ✔️
C) Suspension
D) Colloid
2. In a solution, the component present in larger amount is called
A) Solute
B) Solvent ✔️
C) Mixture
D) Phase
3. Air is an example of
A) Solid solution
 B) Liquid solution
C) Gaseous solution ✔️
D) Colloid
4. Which one of the following is NOT a solution?
A) Sugar in water
B) Copper sulphate in water
C) Milk ✔️
D) Alcohol in water
5. Brass is a solution of
A) Solid in liquid
B) Liquid in solid
C) Solid in solid ✔️
D) Gas in solid

6. Hydrogen dissolved in palladium is an example of

A) Liquid solution
B) Solid solution ✔️
C) Gaseous solution
D) Colloid
7. Oxygen dissolved in water is an example of
A) Gas in gas
B) Liquid in gas
C) Gas in liquid ✔️
D) Solid in liquid
8. Copper dissolved in gold forms
A) Suspension
B) Colloid
C) Alloy ✔️
D) Emulsion
9. How many possible solute–solvent state combinations are there?
A) 3
B) 6
C) 9 ✔️
D) 12
10. Ethanol and water form a
A) Solid solution
B) Liquid–liquid solution ✔️
C) Gas–liquid solution
D) Solid–liquid solution

11. Mass percentage refers to mass of solute in

A) 100 g solvent
B) 100 g solution ✔️
C) 1 litre solution
D) 1 kg solvent
12. ppm is generally used to express
A) High concentration
B) Moderate concentration
C) Trace concentration ✔️
D) Saturation
13. 1 ppm fluoride in water means
A) 1 g/L
B) 1 mg/L ✔️
C) 1 µg/L
D) 1 kg/L
14. Which concentration term has no unit?
A) Molarity
B) Molality
C) Mole fraction ✔️
D) Normality
15. The sum of mole fractions of all components of a solution is
A) Zero
B) Less than one
C) Greater than one
D) One ✔️

16. A mixture contains 2 moles of A and 3 moles of B. Mole fraction of A is

A) 0.2
B) 0.4 ✔️
C) 0.6
D) 0.8
17. If mole fraction of solute is 0.25, mole fraction of solvent is
A) 0.25
B) 0.50
C) 0.75 ✔️
D) 1.00

18. Molarity is defined as number of moles of solute per

A) kg of solvent
B) g of solvent
C) litre of solution ✔️
D) mL of solution
19. The unit of molarity is
A) mol/kg
B) mol/L ✔️
C) g/L
D) eq/L
20. Which of the following depends on temperature?
A) Molality
B) Mole fraction
 C) Molarity ✔️
D) Mass %
21. 58.44 g NaCl dissolved in 1 litre of solution has molarity
A) 0.5 M
B) 1.0 M
C) 0.993 M ✔️
D) 2.0 M

22. Molality is defined as

A) moles of solute per litre of solution
B) moles of solute per kg of solvent ✔️
C) grams of solute per litre
D) equivalents per litre
23. Molality is independent of
A) Mass
B) Volume
C) Temperature ✔️
D) Solute
24. The unit of molality is
A) mol/L
B) mol/kg ✔️
C) g/L
D) eq/L

25. Normality is defined as

A) moles per litre
B) grams per litre
C) equivalents per litre ✔️
D) moles per kg
26. Relation between Normality and Molarity is
A) N = M/Z
B) N = Z × M ✔️
C) M = Z × N
D) M = N/Z
27. Equivalent weight of a substance is
A) M × Z
B) M/Z ✔️
C) Z/M
D) M + Z

28. The dilution formula for molarity is

A) M₁ + V₁ = M₂ + V₂
B) M₁V₁ = M₂V₂ ✔️
C) M₁/M₂ = V₁/V₂
D) M₁ − V₁ = M₂ − V₂
29. Dilution law is based on conservation of
A) Volume
B) Solvent
C) Solute ✔️
D) Density

30. Which concentration term is NOT affected by temperature?

A) Molarity
B) Normality
C) Molality ✔️
D) Volume %