Volume Percent of a Solution

To determine the volume percent of a solution, we need to know the volume of the solute and the total volume of the solution. In this case, we are given that 15 cm3 of ethanol is dissolved in 100 cm3 of water.

Calculating the Volume Percent

The volume percent is calculated by dividing the volume of the solute by the total volume of the solution and multiplying by 100.

Volume percent = (Volume of Solute / Total Volume of Solution) x 100

In this case, the volume of the solute (ethanol) is 15 cm3 and the total volume of the solution (ethanol + water) is 100 cm3.

Volume percent = (15 cm3 / 100 cm3) x 100
Volume percent = 0.15 x 100
Volume percent = 15%

Explanation

This means that the solution is 15% ethanol and 85% water by volume.

When we dissolve ethanol in water, the total volume of the solution increases due to the addition of the solute. However, the volume of the solute is relatively small compared to the total volume of the solution.

The volume percent is a way to express the concentration of a solution. It represents the volume of the solute in relation to the total volume of the solution. In this case, it tells us that 15% of the solution is ethanol.

The volume percent can also be used to compare the concentrations of different solutions. For example, if we had another solution where 30 cm3 of ethanol was dissolved in 200 cm3 of water, we could calculate the volume percent as:

Volume percent = (30 cm3 / 200 cm3) x 100
Volume percent = 0.15 x 100
Volume percent = 15%

Even though the volumes of ethanol and water are different in this case, the volume percent is the same as the previous solution. This means that both solutions have the same concentration of ethanol, even though the actual volumes of ethanol and water are different.

I hope this explanation helps you understand how to calculate the volume percent of a solution.