molarity
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is molarity? Molarity is the number of moles of solute per one liter of solution. The symbol for molarity is a capital M. In chemistry, a solution is a mixture of two or more substances in which neither substance changes chemically. For example, salt water is a solution that contains water (the solvent) and salt (the solute). Concentration is the amount of dissolved substance in a solution. In other words, it is the amount of stuff that has been mixed into your liquid. Concentration is usually measured in molarity. A mole is a basic unit in chemistry. It is the amount of a substance in grams that contains as many atoms, molecules, or ions as 12 grams of carbon-12 (6. 022 x 1023) does. A mole of oxygen, for example, is 6. 022 x 1023 atoms of oxygen. Molarity is the number of moles of a solute per liter of solution. If we wanted to know the molarity of our saltwater solution, we’d want to know how many moles of salt are in every 1 liter of the water.
Etymology
Origin of molarity
Explanation
The molarity of a substance is a scientific measurement of its concentration. Molarity describes the number of moles of a solute — a dissolved substance — per liter of liquid. In chemistry, a mole is a standard unit of measurement for a chemical substance. The scientific term molarity describes the concentration of a substance, calculated as the number of moles divided by the total volume of the solution it's in. For example, a chemist might talk about the molarity of sodium chloride dissolved in water. Molarity comes from mole, which was coined by a German chemist from Molekül, German for "molecule."
Vocabulary lists containing molarity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As defined in the ICE table, x is the molarity of calcium ion in the saturated solution.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
What is the molarity of Ca2+ in milk?
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Higher molarity increases the rate of the reaction.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
What is the molarity of the diluted solution when each of the following solutions is diluted to the given final volume?
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
A 200-mL sample and a 400-mL sample of a solution of salt have the same molarity.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.