Chemical Neutralization Calculation: Perchloric Acid and Calcium Hydroxide

What volume of a 0.224 M perchloric acid solution is required to neutralize 26.0 mL of a 0.149 M calcium hydroxide solution?

2reg mL perchloric acid

Answer:

The required volume of a 0.224 M perchloric acid solution to neutralize 26.0 mL of a 0.149 M calcium hydroxide solution is 34 mL.

Step 1 - Balancing the neutralization reaction:

Since perchloric acid (HClO4) is an acid and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is a base, the reaction will be a neutralization. Note that HClO4 is a monoprotic acid, whereas Ca(OH)2 will liberate two OH(-) groups. We will need two HClO4 to fully neutralize the OH(-) groups:

Step 2 - Discovering how many moles of Ca(OH)2 have reacted:

Given [Ca(OH)2] = 0.149 mol/L and V = 26 mL (0.026 L), the number of moles of Ca(OH)2 that reacted is 3.87 x 10^(-3) moles.

Step 3 - Discovering how many moles of HClO4 have reacted:

Since 2 moles of HClO4 react with 1 mole of Ca(OH)2, the number of moles of HClO4 that reacted is 7.74 x 10^(-3) moles.

Step 4 - Discovering the required volume of HClO4:

With the known moles of HClO4 (7.74 x 10^(-3) moles) and the concentration (0.224 M), the required volume is 34 mL.