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Lab 4 Spectroscopic Analysis of Copper Solutions

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109 views6 pages

Lab 4 Spectroscopic Analysis of Copper Solutions

lab

Uploaded by

ashyam3
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lab 4 Assignment:

Spectrophotometric Analysis of
Copper Solutions
Name: Anjana Shyam

Date: 4/1/2024

Record all measured data and calculated data with the correct number of significant
figures and with correct units.

Part 1: Determining Wavelength of Maximum Absorbance


1. Describe the solution concentrations and the wavelengths of maximum absorbance for both
the copper (II) sulfate and the cobalt (II) chloride solutions. Also record the absorbance value at
the wavelength of maximum absorbance for each solution.

Solution Concentration Wavelengthmax (nm) Absorbance


(M)

CuSO4 0.060 M 700 nm 0.517


CoCl2 0.025 M 520 nm 0.328

2. Compare the color of each solution to the color of the wavelength of light that is absorbed
most effectively – shown by the wavelength of maximum absorbance. For each solution,
explain how the colors relate to one another on the color wheel shown in the background.

The color emitted from the 0.060 M copper (II) sulfate solution was blue, so the color
absorbed, opposite to blue on the color wheel, would be dark orange. The color emitted from
the 0.025 M cobalt chloride solution was a pinkish red, so the color absorbed, the color opposite
to red on the color wheel, would be green.

Part 2: Developing a Standard Curve from Known


Concentrations
3. Calculate the concentration of CuSO4 in the solutions in Flasks 1-4. These are dilution
calculations (reference Section 4.5 in the ebook, and also Lecture Video 4.1). Include units on
all values used including in your calculations for Flask 1 and remember to report
calculated values with correct significant figures and units.

Calculated concentration

a Flask 1 0.012M CuSO4

b Flask 2 0.024M CuSO4

c Flask 3 0.036M CuSO4

d Flask 4 0.048 M CuSO4

Show your work in the space below for Flask 1 only


50 mL *(1L/1000mL) = 0.05L

10 mL * (1L/1000 mL) = 0.01L

(0.060 M)(0.01 L)/(0.05 L)= 0.012 M CuSO4

4. Complete the Table by entering your calculated Cu2+ ion concentrations (same as the CuSO4
concentrations in previous question) and the Absorbance measurements for those solutions.
Remember Solution 5 is the undiluted copper ion solution.

Solution Cu2+ ion Concentration (M) Absorbance

1 0.012M 0.103

2 0.024M 0.207

3 0.036M 0.310

4 0.048M 0.414

5 0.06M 0.517

5. Record the wavelength you used to measure the absorbance values in the above table?
Remember units!

700nm

6. Using Excel or another graphing program, create a graph of absorbance (A) as a function of
the copper(II) concentration (M) for each of the five known standard solutions you prepared.
Your graph should include:
● Visible data points.
● The best fit line.
● Labeled axes with appropriate labels including units.

Your graph is called a calibration plot (or standard curve) because it provides a relationship
between absorbance and concentration for aqueous solutions of this compound, specifically the
Cu2+ ion.

Line of Best fit equation: y= 8.625x - 0.0005

7. Did you get a straight line? Explain, using Beer’s Law described in the Background, why you
would expect your data to produce a straight line.
According to Beer’s law, absorbance is the product of the molar extinction coefficient, molar
concentration, and the path length in cm. An unknown concentration can be determined when
given a known concentration and the known absorbance for both solutions, because the
relationship between absorbance and concentration is a proportional relationship.

Part 3: Using a Standard Curve to Determine Unknown


Concentration
8. Determine the copper ion concentrations in your two unknown samples from the calibration
plot you created in Part 2. To do this, find the concentration that matches the measured
absorbance of each sample. (One way is to draw a line vertically from concentration to the line
connecting the data points, and then draw a line horizontally from the graph to the y-axis.
Another way is to use the equation of the line you generated.)

Complete the following table. Be sure to record the absorbance measured and the molarity
concentration determined from your calibration plot.

Solution Absorbance Concentration (M) Wavelength used (nm)

Measured Solution

Unknown #1 0.302 0.035M 700

Unknown #2 0.431 0.05M 700

9. Describe the method you chose for determining the concentration results in the previous
question.

I utilized the linear regression equation obtained from the spectrophotometric data of the
varying concentration copper(II) sulfate solution. The absorbance values obtained from the
spectrophotometer were inputted on the y side of the equation and simple algebra was used to
find the corresponding value for x, which referred to the concentration of the unknown solution.

10. Suppose your spectrophotometer broke after creating the calibration plot, and you had to
use a different one that required a narrower cuvette to hold the sample.

(a) Would you expect the absorbance measured for a given sample to be greater than,
less than, or the same as the absorbance measured using the previous
spectrophotometer? Explain your answer.

The container shape plays an important role in the absorbance, when looking at the Beer-Lambert
equation. A narrower cuvette, that is longer, would absorb more light because the photons would be
interacting with more molecules. A longer, narrower tube has a larger path length, which could result in a
greater absorbance.

(b) Would you have to create a new calibration plot using your copper ion solutions of
known concentration to determine the concentration of the unknown? Explain your answer.

Although the absorbance values for each copper ion solution would be greater, the proportionality
between the concentration and the absorbance of the copper ion solutions would be the same resulting in
the same linear regression equation.

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