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How to Calculate PPM of Sulfur Dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is a compound with the chemical formula SO2, meaning it contains one atom of sulfur and two atoms of oxygen. It's used as a preservative in both dried fruits and wine, and it's also a notorious environmental pollutant. If you need to find concentration in parts per million (ppm) for wine in a sample, the calculation is very straightforward; all you need is the mass of the sulfur dioxide and the mass (or the volume) of the solution.

Instructions

- 1
  Convert the mass of the solute to grams if you know the mass of the solution. For example, if the solute mass was 0.0002 ounces, you would multiply by 28.349 grams / ounce to obtain 0.0056698 grams.
- 2
  Divide the number of grams of solute by the number of grams of solution, then multiply by 10^6 to obtain concentration in parts per million. For example, if your solution weighed 5 kilograms or 5,000 grams, then 0.0056698 / 5000 = 1.13 x 10^-6. Multiplying this by 10^6 gives you 1.13 parts per million.
- 3
  Convert the mass of the solute to milligrams if you know the volume of the solution rather than its mass and the solvent is water. For example, if the mass of the solute was 0.005 grams, you would multiply by 1,000 to obtain 5 milligrams.
- 4
  Divide this mass by the volume of the solution in liters and you have your answer. If you have 5 liters of solution and the solvent is water, for example, then 5 mg / 5 L = 1 part per million.

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