Which expression defines volume percent?

Which expression defines volume percent?

• A. (volume solute/volume solution) x 100
• B. (volume solvent/volume solution) x 100
• C. (grams solute/grams solution) x 100
• D. (volume solute/volume solvent) x 100

Answer: (A)

Volume percent expresses how much of the final solution’s volume is taken up by the solute. It is defined as the volume of solute divided by the total volume of the solution, multiplied by 100: Volume percent = (volume solute / volume solution) × 100 This matches the expression that uses the solute volume in the numerator and the total solution volume in the denominator. The other forms don’t describe volume percent: using the solvent volume would give the percent of solvent, using masses would be mass percent, and using solute volume over solvent volume is a ratio, not a percent of the solution’s volume. For example, if 25 mL of solute is in a total solution of 100 mL, the volume percent is (25/100) × 100 = 25%.

Volume percent expresses how much of the final solution’s volume is taken up by the solute. It is defined as the volume of solute divided by the total volume of the solution, multiplied by 100:

Volume percent = (volume solute / volume solution) × 100

This matches the expression that uses the solute volume in the numerator and the total solution volume in the denominator. The other forms don’t describe volume percent: using the solvent volume would give the percent of solvent, using masses would be mass percent, and using solute volume over solvent volume is a ratio, not a percent of the solution’s volume. For example, if 25 mL of solute is in a total solution of 100 mL, the volume percent is (25/100) × 100 = 25%.