If I combine two solutions of known concentrations and volumes, can I calculate the concentration of the new solution by adding the two concentrations together and dividing the result by 2?
1 Answer
No.
Explanation:
Let's use an example. Say, we have a
If we wanted to find the final concentration of
For us, this would be:
Adding the concentrations together and then dividing the resulting value by
On a more conceptual level, this method doesn’t work because it doesn’t take the volumes into account.
The initial volumes of the two solutions and the final volume of the mixed solution both affect the final concentration, but this method doesn’t take that into account.
