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A chemist has two large containers of sulfuric acid solution, with different concentrations of acid in each container. Blending 200 mL of the first solution and 400 mL of the second gives a

mixture that is 11% acid, whereas blending 300 mL of the first mixed with 900 mL of the second gives a 9 1/2 % acid mixture. What are the concentrations of sulfuric acid in the original
9
containers?
first solution ? %

second solution ? %


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1 Answer

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Answer: First: 20% Second: 8%

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's solve the problem step by step to find the concentrations of sulfuric acid in the original containers.

Let's denote the concentration of the first solution as x% and the concentration of the second solution as y%.

For the first blending:

- We mix 200 mL of the first solution with x% concentration with 400 mL of the second solution with y% concentration.

- The resulting mixture has an acid concentration of 11%.

- We can set up the following equation: (200 mL * x% + 400 mL * y%) / (200 mL + 400 mL) = 11%.

For the second blending:

- We mix 300 mL of the first solution with x% concentration with 900 mL of the second solution with y% concentration.

- The resulting mixture has an acid concentration of 9 1/2%, which is equivalent to 9.5%.

- We can set up the following equation: (300 mL * x% + 900 mL * y%) / (300 mL + 900 mL) = 9.5%.

Now, let's solve these equations to find the values of x and y:

Equation 1: (200x + 400y) / 600 = 11

Equation 2: (300x + 900y) / 1200 = 9.5

Simplifying Equation 1:

200x + 400y = 11 * 600

200x + 400y = 6600

Simplifying Equation 2:

300x + 900y = 9.5 * 1200

300x + 900y = 11400

Now, we can solve these two equations simultaneously to find the values of x and y.

Multiplying Equation 1 by 3:

600x + 1200y = 19800

Subtracting Equation 2 from the above equation:

(600x + 1200y) - (300x + 900y) = 19800 - 11400

300x + 300y = 8400

Dividing the above equation by 300:

x + y = 28

Now, we have a system of equations:

200x + 400y = 6600

x + y = 28

Solving these equations simultaneously, we find:

x = 20%

y = 8%

Therefore, the concentration of sulfuric acid in the original containers is:

- The first solution: 20%

- The second solution: 8%

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