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How to Calculate the Maximum Concentration With Molar Solubility

Chemists use molar solubility to describe the maximum quantity of a chemical which will dissolve in a particular solvent before it reaches its saturation point. Specifically, it is the moles of chemical which will dissolve to make one liter of a saturated solution. A mole is a unit commonly used in science and stands for 6.02 x 10^23 atoms or molecules of a substance. You can convert molar solubility to find the maximum concentration possible when dissolving a chemical by using the molecular weight of that compound.

Things You'll Need

Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Enter the value of your chemical's molar solubility into the calculator. The molar solubility will be in units of moles chemical per liter of saturated solution. For example, the molar solubility of calcium fluoride (CaF2) is 0.00021 moles per liter, so you would enter 0.00021.
- 2
  Multiply the value you just entered by the molecular weight of your chemical. The molecular weight of a chemical is the mass, in grams, of one mole of that substance. You can obtain this value from the manufacturer's information for the compound, such as its Material Safety Data Sheet. The molecular weight for CaF2 is 78.1 grams/mole.
- 3
  Report the result of your calculation as the maximum possible concentration of a solution of that chemical, in units of grams chemical per liter of solution. In the case of the example, you would calculate 0.00021 times 78.1 and report the concentration as 0.016 grams CaF2 per liter.

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