A Volumetric Glassware

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Volumetric Glassware

In quantitative chemistry,it is necessary to make volume measurements


with an error on the order of 0.1%.
This involves using glassware that can contain or deliver a volume known
to a few hundredths of a milliliter, or about 0.01 mL.
Glassware designed for this level of accuracy and precision is expensive, and
requires some care and skill to give best results.
Four main types of volumetric glassware are common: the graduated
cylinder, the volumetric flask, the buret and the pipet.
All volumetric glassware is calibrated with markings used to determine a
specific volume of liquid to varying degrees of accuracy. To read this volume
exactly, the bottom of the curved surface of the liquid, the meniscus, should
be located at the scribed line for the desired volume.
TC Versus TD
Some volumetric glassware bears the label
"TC 20°C" which stands for "to contain at 20°C." This means that at 20°C,
that flask will have precisely the volume listed inside it.
If you were to pour out the liquid, you would need to get every drop out of it
to have that volume.Alternatively,
some volumetric glassware bears the label
"TD 20°C" which stands for "to deliver at 20°C." This means that at 20°C,
precisely the volume listed will leave it when the contents are allowed to
drain out of the vessel. It is not necessary to get every last drop and, in fact,
it is inaccurate to blow the last bit out of a volumetric pipet.
Graduated Cylinders
Graduated cylinders, are used to measure and dispense known volumes of
liquids. They are manufactured to contain the measured volume with an
error of 0.5 to 1%. For a 100 mL graduated cylinder, this would be an error
of 0.5 to 1.0 mL. Measurements made with a graduated cylinder can be
reported to three significant figures.

Figure 1
Volumetric Flasks
The volumetric flask, available in sizes ranging from 10 mL to 2 L, is
designed to contain a specific volume of liquid, usually to a tolerance of a
few hundredths of a milliliter, about 0.1% of the flask's capacity. The
calibration line is specific to a given flask; a set of flasks built to contain the
same volume will have lines at different positions.
Volumetric flasks are used to make solutions with very accurately known
concentrations. One can start with a solid solute or with a concentrated
stock solution.
Never fill a volumetric flask with solvent and then add solute.
It is sometimes useful to have some solvent in the flask before adding the
solute.Volumetric flasks are not used for storage of solutions.
Once the solution is prepared, it is transferred to a clean, labeled bottle or
beaker.
Burets
- is a long, narrow tube with a stopcock at its base.
- is graduated in 0.1 mL increments, with the 0.00 mL mark at the top and
the 50.00 mL mark near the bottom
. Burets with liquid capacities of 25.00 mL and 10.00 mL are also available.

Pipets
Pipets are designed to deliver a known volume of a liquid. Their volumes
range from less than 1 mL to about 100 mL. There are several types, which
vary in accuracy and in the type of task for which they are optimum.
 Volumetric pipets are meant to hold a single, specific volume. This
type of pipet is a narrow tube with a "bubble" in its center, a tapered tip
for delivery of liquid, and a single graduation mark near the top (opposite
the tapered end) of the tube. Volumetric pipets, sometimes called transfer
pipets, are the most accurate pipets. They generally deliver the specified
volume ±0.1%, an error of a few hundredths of a milliliter.
 Most volumetric pipets are marked TD (to deliver) and are drained by
gravity. If a drop remains on the tip of the pipet, it is touched gently to the
receiving vessel to draw off the remaining liquid or wipe with a Kimwipe.
This type of pipet is not designed have residual liquid forced out by
blowing.
 Mohr pipets, also called measuring pipets, are straight tubes with
graduations (usually at 0.10-mL intervals) and a tapered end. Mohr pipets
are not designed to be drained completely. The operator fills them to a
certain level, then dispenses the desired amount of liquid. They are much
like burets and can be used for small volume titrations. This takes a fair
amount of practice, though.
 Serological pipets are a hybrid of the two previous types. Like Mohr
pipets, they are straight tubes with graduations. They can be nearly as
accurate as volumetric pipets, and they are very convenient. For example,
an experiment may call for dilutions of a stock solution, requiring 2.5, 5.0,
and 7.5 mL of solution. A serological pipet is an excellent tool for this sort
of work. Most serological pipets are calibrated TD/Blow Out. They have a
shaped tip, to hold a cotton plug, and horizontal bands near the top of the
tube. They are drained by gravity, and the last drop is gently blown out
with a pipet bulb into the receiving vessel.

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