Practice question
Question
What is the mass of ethanol (molar mass = 46 g/mol) in 500 g of a solution if its mole fraction is 0.2 and water is the solvent?
Explanation
Moles of water = (500 - x/18) , moles of ethanol = (x/46) . Mole fraction = ((x/46)/(x/46) + (500 - x/18)) = 0.2 . Solving: (x/46) = 0.2 left( (x/46) + (500 - x/18) right) . Simplify: x ≈ 138 g (after cross-multiplication and approximation).