How many milliliters of 5.50 M H2SO4 must you use to prepare 500.ml of 0.2 M sulfuric acid solution? I know I need to use the formula M1V1 = M2V2 but I'm not sure how to calculate the problem?

M1 = 5.50 M

V1 = ?? solve for this. The answer will be in mL.
M2 = 0.2 M
V2 = 500 mL

Plug and chug. Your statement MAY mean you don't know how to solve the equation once it is set up. If that is the problem, tell me what you don't understand about the math and I can go from there.

To determine the volume of 5.50 M H2SO4 required to prepare a 500 ml solution of 0.2 M sulfuric acid, you can use the formula M1V1 = M2V2, where M1 and V1 represent the initial concentration and volume of the concentrated solution (5.50 M H2SO4) and M2 and V2 represent the desired concentration and volume of the diluted solution (0.2 M sulfuric acid, 500 ml).

Let's break down the steps to calculate the volume of 5.50 M H2SO4 needed:

Step 1: Convert the given volume (500 ml) to liters:
V2 = 500 ml = 500/1000 L = 0.5 L

Step 2: Identify the concentrations (Molarity) of the concentrated and diluted solutions:
M1 = 5.50 M (concentrated H2SO4 solution)
M2 = 0.2 M (diluted sulfuric acid solution)

Step 3: Now, we can rearrange the formula M1V1 = M2V2 to solve for V1:
V1 = (M2 * V2) / M1

Substituting the given values:
V1 = (0.2 M * 0.5 L) / 5.50 M

Step 4: Calculate the volume of the concentrated solution (V1):
V1 = 0.2 * 0.5 / 5.50 L
V1 = 0.036 L

Step 5: Convert the volume back to milliliters (ml):
V1 = 0.036 L * 1000 ml/L
V1 = 36 ml

Therefore, you would need to use 36 milliliters of 5.50 M H2SO4 to prepare 500 ml of a 0.2 M sulfuric acid solution.