How do you calculate the osmolarity of seawater?
1 Answer
You add up the molarities of the constituent ions.
Explanation:
The composition of seawater varies around the world, but the concentrations of the six most abundant ions in a "typical" sample are:
Thus, if you consider just the
If you include the magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sulfate ions, the osmolarity is closer to 1200 mOsmol/L.