Chemistry Problem: Neutralizing Phosphoric Acid
The Neutralization Process:
H3PO4 + 3NH3 -> NH4PO4 + 2NH4+
Calculating the Amount of Ammonia Needed:
To determine the amount of ammonia solution required to neutralize the given amount of phosphoric acid, we must first convert the volume of phosphoric acid into moles using the formula moles = Molarity * volume.For phosphoric acid: Moles = 16.5 mL * 2.15 M = 0.03548 mol
Since phosphoric acid requires 3 moles of ammonia to fully react, we then divide this value by three to find the moles of ammonia needed.0.03548 mol / 3 = 0.01183 mol of NH3
Finally, to calculate the volume of the ammonia solution needed, we use the formula volume = moles / Molarity.Volume = 0.01183 mol / 0.250 M = 0.0473 L or 47.3 mL
Therefore, 47.3 mL of a 0.250 M solution of ammonia is needed to completely neutralize 16.5 mL of 2.15 M phosphoric acid.