What is a normal solution?

Question

A Normal solution (N) is a solution that contains 1 ‘gram equivalent weight’ (gEW) of solute per litre of solution.

I dont get it.

Answer 1

Normality (of a solution) is basically the molar concentration divided by the number of equivalents of _what it reacts with_.  

Example 1:  HCl reacts with NaOH on a 1:1 basis - 1 equivalent of HCl for 1 equivalent of NaOH.  The equivalent weight is the same as the molar weight, so the molar concentration of HCl is also the same as the normality.

Example 2:  A solution of AlCl3 (aluminum chloride) is titrated with AgNO3 solution (precipitating as AgCl).  1 equivalent of AlCl3 takes 3 equivalents of AgNO3.  The normality of the AlCl3 solution is 1/3 its molar concentration, because each mole needs 3 equivalents of the other reagent.

(The normality can be different for different reactions, by the way.  I'm unable to think of an example off the top of my head...)