what is the average volume of vinegar needed to exactly neutralise 10.0mL of NaOH (aq)?

What's the strength of the vinegar? It comes in 3%, 4%, 5% and perhaps others. Find the strength, convert % to molarity, find the strength of NaOH (the molarity), then Mvin x Lvin = MNaOH x M NaOH. Solve for the one unknown.

To find the average volume of vinegar needed to exactly neutralize 10.0 mL of NaOH (aq), we need to understand the concept of neutralization reaction and perform a calculation based on the balanced chemical equation.

The balanced equation for the neutralization reaction between vinegar (acetic acid, CH3COOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is:

CH3COOH + NaOH → CH3COONa + H2O

From the balanced equation, we can see that 1 mole of vinegar (acetic acid) reacts with 1 mole of sodium hydroxide to produce 1 mole of sodium acetate (CH3COONa) and 1 mole of water (H2O).

To calculate the average volume of vinegar needed for neutralization, we need to know the concentration (molarity) of the NaOH solution. If the molarity of the NaOH solution is given, we can use the following steps:

1. Determine the moles of NaOH used by using the given volume and concentration. For example, if the concentration of NaOH is 0.1 M and the volume used is 10.0 mL, then:

Moles of NaOH = (0.1 M) x (10.0 mL / 1000 mL/L) = 0.001 moles

2. Since the balanced equation shows a 1:1 mole ratio between NaOH and vinegar (acetic acid), the moles of vinegar needed to neutralize the NaOH will also be 0.001 moles.

3. Now, we need to find the volume of vinegar that contains 0.001 moles of acetic acid. This requires knowing the concentration of acetic acid in vinegar. The typical concentration of acetic acid in vinegar is around 5% (or 0.05 M).

Volume of vinegar (in mL) = (0.001 moles) / (0.05 M) x (1000 mL/L)

4. Plug in the values and calculate:

Volume of vinegar = (0.001 moles) / (0.05 M) x (1000 mL/L)
= 20.0 mL

Therefore, the average volume of vinegar needed to exactly neutralize 10.0 mL of NaOH (aq) would be approximately 20.0 mL, assuming the concentration of vinegar is around 5%. Please note that actual vinegar concentrations may vary, so it's always best to check the concentration on the vinegar label for more accurate calculations.