Federal regulations set an upper limit of 50 parts per million (ppm) of NH3 in the air in a work environment [that is, 50 molecules of NH3(g) for every million molecules in the air]. Air from a manufacturing operation was drawn through a solution containing 1.00 × 102 mL of 0.0105 M HCl. The NH3 reacts with HCl as follows:
NH3(aq) + HCl(aq) → NH4Cl(aq)
After drawing air through the acid solution for 10.0 min at a rate of 10.0 L/min, the acid was titrated. The remaining acid needed 13.1 mL of 0.0588 M NaOH to reach the equivalence point.
(a) How many grams of NH3 were drawn into the acid solution?
(b) How many ppm of NH3 were in the air? (Air has a density of 1.20 g/L and an average molar mass of 29.0 g/mol under the conditions of the experiment.)
(c) Is this manufacturer in compliance with regulations?