To calculate the molality of a solution, we need to determine the amount of solute in moles and the mass of the solvent in kilograms.
First, we need to convert the given volume of water to mass. The density of water is 1 g/mL, so 250 mL of water has a mass of 250 g or 0.25 kg.
Next, we need to determine the amount of solute in moles. The molar mass of sodium chloride (NaCl) is 58.44 g/mol, so 48 grams of NaCl is:
48 g / 58.44 g/mol = 0.821 mol
The molality of the solution is:
molality = moles of solute / mass of solvent in kg
molality = 0.821 mol / 0.25 kg = 3.28 mol/kg
Therefore, the molality of the solution is 3.28 mol/kg.