Percentage concentration by mass

All of the solution concentration units introduced in this chapter are direct proportionalities. Percentage concentration by mass is a direct proportionality between mass of solute and mass of solution molarity, between moles of solute and liters of solution molality, between moles of solute and kilograms of solvent and normality, between equivalents of solute and liters of solution. These proportional relationships allow you to think of solution concentration units as conversion factors between the two units in the fraction. Do you know mass of solution and need mass of solute Use percentage concentration. Do you know volume of solution and need moles of solute Use molarity. Thinking about solution concentration units in this way allows you to become more skilled at solving quantitative problems. 

Given a solution of known percentage concentration by mass, a laboratory worker can often measure out a calculated mass of the solution in order to obtain a certain mass of solute. Sometimes, though, it is impractical to use the mass of a solution, especially with fuming solutions, such as concentrated HCl and concentrated HNO3. Measuring these solutions by volume is much more practical. In order to determine the volume that should be measured, a worker would need to know the density of the solution. This information usually appears on the label of the solution bottle. 

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