This laboratory will be performed for you by Dr. A. Sullivan. You can view the video of the laboratory experiment below. The video will be used to observe and record the data for this laboratory assignment The Virtual Experiment 13 laboratory assignment will be completed this semester.
The pre laboratory writing assignment must be completed before the laboratory session - This is the introduction for the formal report that must be written for this experiment.
Complete the pre laboratory problems
Using the laboratory videos posted below, collect the necessary data to complete the tables and questions in the laboratory report. Create the Beer's law plot from the data and determine the concentration of all three unknown solutions.
Complete the formal report assignment for this experiment. Appendix D of the laboratory manual explains how to write a formal laboratory report.
You can use Activity 4 to help you create the Beer's Law plot for this experiment.
When atoms are heated or great amounts of electricity are passed through substances, the electrons within the atom can move inside the electronic structure of the atom. The energy of the electrons is said to be quantized and the electrons are only able to move in specific orbits or orbitals. For an electron to move away from the nucleus, the electron must absorb energy, while the electron emits light at various wavelengths when the electron moves toward the nucleus. Quantum theory explains this process. Every atom has a specific pattern of absorbed energy and emitted light. When the energy is absorbed, we can plot the relationship between intensity and wavelength as an absorption spectrum and we can plot the wavelength or frequency of the light emitted as the emission spectrum. These two spectra are related to each other as a picture and negative are related.
Electromagnetic radiation is a continuous spectrum of many wavelengths including visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio waves, x rays and gamma rays as a few examples. Each of these types of "light" have unique energies, wavelengths and frequencies which are all related. The energy of the radiation is proportional to the frequency, E = hν, where E is energy, ν is frequency measured in Hertz or cycles per second, and h is a constant, Planck's constant. The frequency is inversely proportional to the wavelength of the radiation, νλ = c, where ν (nu) is the frequency, λ (lambda) is the wavelength measured in meters, and c is the speed or velocity of light in a vacuum, 2.996 x 108 m/sec or 186,000 miles per second. Visible light has wavelengths between ~250 nm to ~ 800 nm. The absorption plot will graph the absorbance at different visible wavelengths, for example, this is the visible absorption spectrum of chlorophyll and other colored compounds.
When light passes through a substance, it can either be absorbed, reflected or transmitted. Experimental measurements are usually made in terms of transmittance (T), which is defined as:
%T = I / Io x 100
where I is the light intensity after it passes through the sample and Io is the initial light intensity. The relation between A and %T is:
A = 2 - log T = 2 - log (I / Io).
Absorption of light by a sample
Modern absorption instruments can usually display the data as either transmittance, %-transmittance, or absorbance.
The bonding structure in molecules have similar absorption spectra which can be used to determine structure of the molecule. There is an added relationship between the amount of the molecule present and the amount of light that is absorbed.
The above videos show how light interacts with substances and the equipment, tools and techniques we use to measure this interaction.
Concentration (M) Absorbance
0 0
1.2 X 10-3 0.15
2.4 X 10-3 0.31
4.8 X 10-3 0.70
9.6 X 10-3 1.25
1.9 X 10-2 2.62
A standard solution is made of exact concentration. To create the Beer's Law plot, the original solution is diluted to various concentrations. Dilution occurs when a small amount of a concentrated solution has water added to increase the volume. If the dilution is done quantitatively using either a pipet and volumetric flask or a buret, then the number of moles in the concentrated solution will equal the number of moles in the dilute solution. If the number of moles is determined by the relationship
moles = Molarity x Volume, then in dilution
Molarity (concentrated sample) x Volume (concentrated Stock solution) = Molarity (diluted sample) x Volume (final diluted sample)
Absorption and Emission Spectra
https://youtu.be/1uPyq63aRvg
How to use a Spectrophotometer: https://youtu.be/xHQM4BbR040?list=PL967C03F996296203
Beer's Law Theory
The pre writing assignment must contain three parts: a purpose statement of what the objectives of the assignment are, a theory paragraph containing background and an understanding of why we are completing this assignment and finally, a summary paragraph of the procedure explaining how the assignment will be completed.
A pre writing assignment is included in the example of a formal laboratory report at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BGBPJS3VqNME4cKDrR50HqqrIYZt0sZ9UCg6IrS3MDk
This assignment is the beginning of your formal report and must be included in the formal report. It will only be accepted before the laboratory session begins. No late assignments will be accepted.
The pre writing and the pre laboratory problems are questions about the laboratory assignment, background, definitions or procedure and calculations. These problems should be completed BEFORE coming to the class where the assignment will be discussed.
This is the video of the laboratory presentation with explanation of the laboratory assignment.
This video show how MicroLab was used to measure the absorbance of several solutions of known concentration to create a Beer's Law Plot and then use the equation of best fit line to determine the concentration of an unknown solution.
View the video to determine the following. The experiment begins with you preparing the stock solution of cobalt (II) nitrate using the hydrated salt.
Calculate the mass of Co(NO3)2 6H2O needed to make 50 mL of a 0.150 M stock solution using a 50 mL volumetric flask. View the video above to determine how much salt was used to prepared the solution, determine the actual concentration of the stock solution from the measured mass.
Use the video to determine how the diluted solutions in test tubes labeled 0 - 5 were prepared.
Test tube Volume of stock solution Volume of water
0 0 mL 5 mL Blank solution
1 2 mL 8 mL
2 4 mL 6 mL
3 6 mL 4 mL
4 8 mL 2 mL
5 5 mL 0 mL Stock solution
Calculate the concentration of each diluted solution using the actual concentration of the prepared solution.
Two graphs will be created from data collected using a spectrophotometer.
The first graph will be prepared from absorbance reading plotted for each wavelength of light used between 400 and 700 nm. Watch the video to record this information from the MicroLab program and spectophotometer. This graph is used to determine the wavelength at which there is a maximum absorption of light.
The Beer's Law Plot is created by plotting Absorbance for each of the five test tubes prepared above against the concentration determined for each test tube. According to Beer's Law, A = 𝛆bc, as the concentration decreases, the absorbance will decrease proportionally. The slope of the "best fit" line, 𝛆b, is called the absorptivity. Use the video to record the absorbance of the prepared solutions.
Three unknown solution's absorbances are measured and the Beer's Law plot is used to determine the concentration of the unknown solution by extrapolation. Use the video to record the absorbance of the unknown solutions. Determine the concentration of all three unknown solutions using the Beer's Law plot.
Complete the formal report and conclusion paragraph. A discussion of how to prepare the formal report and a conclusion paragraph is given in Appendix D: How to Write a Formal Laboratory Report
https://sites.google.com/a/email.vccs.edu/college-chemistry-ii/home/laboratory-reports
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BGBPJS3VqNME4cKDrR50HqqrIYZt0sZ9UCg6IrS3MDk