What is the salinity of a seawater sample with the following composition:
- Sodium concentration: 10,700 ppm
- Sodium molecular weight: 22.9898 g/mol
- Potassium concentration: 39.098 ppm
- Potassium molecular weight: 39.098 g/mol
Calculating the Salinity
The salinity of the seawater sample cannot be determined without knowing the mass of the sample. However, we can calculate the molar concentrations of sodium and potassium in the sample, which can be used for comparison.
Explanation:
To calculate the salinity of the seawater sample, we need to use the given concentrations of sodium and potassium and their respective molecular weights. Let's calculate the molar concentration of each ion:
Sodium:
Molar concentration = (Concentration in ppm * Molecular weight) / 1000
Molar concentration = (10,700 ppm * 22.9898 g/mol) / 1000
Molar concentration = 245.986 mol/L
Potassium:
Molar concentration = (Concentration in ppm * Molecular weight) / 1000
Molar concentration = (39.098 ppm * 39.098 g/mol) / 1000
Molar concentration = 1.529 mol/L
Now, we can calculate the salinity using the formula:
Salinity = (g inorganic dissolved ions * 1000) / 1 kg sea water
Since we don't have the mass of the seawater sample, we cannot calculate the exact salinity value. However, we have the molar concentrations of sodium and potassium, which can be used to compare the salinity values of different seawater samples.