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Creating Solutions of Standard Molarity

Francesca Rovalino

Craig Syme

CHEM 1251-046

11/13/2019
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Introduction:

In this lab, concepts of concentration were used to compare standard solutions of copper (II)

sulfate pentahydrate to made solutions of copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate. Molarity is the unit

used to describe the concentration of a solute in a solution and is found by dividing the moles of

solute by the liters of solution. The solute, or dissolved substance, used in this lab was the

copper(II) sulfate, which was mixed with water, the solvent. In this lab, the solution was blue

because it absorbed certain wavelengths of light and in this lab, the greatest absorbance was in

the orange range, which is about 600nm, resulting in a visible blue. The spectrophotometer

(Spec-20) is used to read the percent transmittance of a solution and in order to do so it must be

calibrated to read 0 at 600nm when it is empty. The spec-20 electronically measures

electromagnetic energy that is converted into an electric current. The Beer-Lambert Law directly

relates the amount of light absorbed by a colored substance and the concentration. The

concentration and absorbance were used to create a calibration curve. Standard solutions were

used in this lab to compare with made solutions of the same solute and solvent. Both standard

and made solutions were useful as a reference for the unknown solution. The general purpose of

this lab was to observe and analyze the accuracy of the standard solutions and the difference

between the standard copper (II) solutions and the made solutions. Another objective was to

identify possible sources of error that could have affected the results.
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Procedure:

First, ten small, clean test tubes were labeled for different concentrations of Copper (II) Sulfate,

Standard 0.50M, Standard 0.20M, Standard 0.10M, and Standard 0.05M, with tape as follows:

Blank, S1, S2, S3, S4, M1, M2, M3, M4, Unknown. Then the test tubes were filled with clean

Pasteur pipettes to about ¾ full with the appropriate solution, according to the label for the

standard solutions. A kim wipe was then used to clean any solution and fingerprints on the

outside of the test tube and the test tubes were placed on a rack. Next, 2.5g of Copper (II) Sulfate

Pentahydrate was mixed with water, which was gradually added using a graduated cylinder, in a

100mL beaker to create 20mL of a 0.50M solution. The mixture was transferred back and forth

between the graduated cylinder and the beaker to ensure that all the crystals dissolved, creating a

homogenous mixture. The beaker was then rinsed several times with small portions of distilled

water, keeping the volume in the cylinder less than 20mL. Then a Pasteur pipette was used to

carefully add water until the solution reached 20mL. Again, the mixture was transferred back and

forth, thus creating a homogenous mixture and some of the mixture was collected in the M1 test

tube. Next, the process was repeated using the same mixture and 12mL of water to create 20mL

of a 0.20M copper (II) sulfate solution. The amount of water needed was calculated by the

dilution equation and some of the mixture was collected into the M2 test tube. The process was

repeated again to create 20mL of a 0.10M copper (II) sulfate solution for the test tube labeled M3

and then again for 20mL of a 0.05M copper (II) sulfate solution for the test tube labeled M4.

Finally, the rack of test tubes was taken to the spectrophotometer. In order to calibrate the

spec-20, the left knob was slightly adjusted so that the percent transmittance read zero with the

spec-20 empty and with the lid closed. Then the test tube containing only distilled water (Blank)
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was inserted and the lid was closed. The pointer was set to 100% transmittance with the right

knob. Lastly, each test tube was inserted one by one, with the blank test tube used between each

one to ensure that the spec-20 was still calibrated. The percent transmittance for each sample was

recorded and then used to calculate the absorbance, which was then compared with the

concentration to draw a conclusion on the relationship between the two.

Results:

Table 12.1​ %T and Absorbance for Standard Copper (II) Solutions

Concentration of Percent Transmittance Absorbance

Standards (M) Transmittance

0.05 89.3 .893 .0491

0.10 81.0 .810 .0915

0.20 65.2 .652 .186

0.50 36.0 .360 .444

Table 12.2​ Preparation of Copper (II) Sulfate Solutions

Concentration Amount of Volume of the Volume of the Volume of

(M) Copper (II) Final Solution Concentrated Water (mL)
Sulfate (mL) Solution (mL)
Pentahydrate (g)

0.50 2.5 20 - 20

0.20 - 20 8 12

0.10 - 20 10 10

0.05 - 20 10 10
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Table 12.3​ %T and Absorbance for Made Copper (II) Solutions

Concentration of the Made Percent Transmittance Absorbance

Solutions (M)

0.05 89.1 .0501

0.10 81.8 .0872

0.20 66.5 .177

0.50 34.5 .462

Table 12.4​ Comparison Between the Theoretical and Actual Concentration of the Made Copper

(II) Solutions

Concentration of the Made Absorbance Actual Concentration of the

Solutions (M) Made Solutions (M)

0.05 .0501 .0502

0.10 .0872 .0924

0.20 .177 .195

0.50 .462 .519

Calibration Curve​: Concentration vs Absorbance

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Discussion:

Table 12.5​ Percent Error on the Concentration of the Made Copper(II) Solution

Solution Number Concentration of Concentration of Calculated % Error

Standard Solution Made Solution

1 0.05M .0502 0.40%

2 0.10M .0924 7.6%

3 0.20M .195 2.5%

4 0.50M .519 3.8%

Table 12.6​ Percent Error on the Absorbance of the Made Copper (II) Solution

Solution Number Absorbance of Absorbance of Made Calculated % Error

Standard Solution Solution

1 .0491 .0501 2.04%

2 .0915 .0872 4.70%

3 .186 .177 4.84%

4 .444 .462 4.05%

Both ​Table 12.5 ​and ​Table 12.6 ​prove that the technique was an accurate method of measuring

molarity and absorbance since the error was minimal. The percent error was calculated by taking

the absolute value of the actual value (made solution) minus theoretical value (standard solution)

divided by the theoretical. The number was then multiplied by 100, resulting in the percent error.

Since none of the results had a percent error greater than 10, the conclusion can be drawn that by

properly calibrating the spec-20 and with the use of Pasteur pipettes to ensure accuracy in

measurements, error can be minimized, making the experiment effective and accurate.
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Conclusion:

In conclusion, the made copper (II) solutions had similar concentrations and absorbance in

comparison to the standard solutions. This was proven by the R² value of 0.99972, which

indicates that the data fit well compared to the line of best fit. The line of best fit provided a

reference for the expected absorbance at a certain concentration and vice versa. One error that

could have caused a slightly lower absorbance could have been that the beaker was not properly

rinsed, resulting in a lower concentration of copper (II) sulfate in the mixture. The difference was

not much therefore the percent error was low. Similarly, another error for the first and last

solutions could have been that not enough water was added, resulting in a higher concentration

of copper (II) sulfate. Ultimately, the results aligned with the original hypothesis that absorbance

and concentration are directly related and have a positive correlation.

Sample Calculations:

1. Molarity (M) = moles of solute / Liters of solution (M=mol/L)

.20/10= 0.20M

2. Absorbance = 2 - log(% Transmittance) 2-log(40)=.40

3. M₁V₁=M₂V₂ (4)(6)=(M₂)(12) 24/12=2 M₂=2