Experiment

BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

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Experiment

BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

Beers Law & Colorimetry

Angela Carraway, Ph.D. and Peter Jeschofnig, Ph.D.
Version 42-0140-00-01

LAB RePoRt AssistAnt

This document is not meant to be a substitute for a formal laboratory report. The Lab Report
Assistant is simply a summary of the experiments questions, diagrams if needed, and data tables
that should be addressed in a formal lab report. The intent is to facilitate students writing of lab
reports by providing this information in an editable file which can be sent to an instructor.

exercise 1
QUestions FRoM PRoCeDURes
1. Convert %T to absorbance and prepare a Beers Law plot using this data.

Concentration of Various Samples

Sample Identification
Code
Q5000
Q5001
Q5002
Q5003
Q5004

Concentration of M
(mol/L)
4.00 x 10-4
-4

3.20 x 10
2.40 x 10-4
1.60 x 10-4
8.000 x 10-5

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%t

A = 2 - log(%t)

17.9
25.0
35.7
50.2
70.8

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Experiment

BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

QUestions FRoM PRoCeDURes

3. What is the concentration of M in these samples?

Concentration of M
Sample Identification
Code

%t

A = 2 - log(%t)

Q021015-01
Q021015-02
Q021015-03
Q021015-04
Q021015-05

43.7
44.1
43.8
44.1
43.8

0.35951856
0.35556141
0.35852589
0.35556141
0.35852589

0.36
0.36
0.36
0.36
0.36

0.000192

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BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

4. What was their percent error?

5. Does Batch 021015 meet legal requirements?

exercise 2
oBseRVAtions
Data Table 1: Concentrations of Blue Dye
Well #

10

Drops of Blue Dye Solution

10

Drops of Distilled Water

Calculated Concentration

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Experiment

BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

exercise 3
oBseRVAtions
(Only if colorimeter is used in this experiment.)

Data Table 2: Dilution

test tube
Solutions
number
Starting dilution (100 mL water and drops of
3
blue#1 dye)
1:1 Dilution (1 part water - 1 part starting dye
2
solution)
2:1 Dilution (2 parts water - 1 part starting dye
1
solution)
0

Zero standard distilled water

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Concentration
(M)

Concentration
(ppm)

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BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

Data Table 3: Resistance vs. Concentration

Zero
standard
Concentration (M)

2:1
standard

1:1
standard

original
dilution

Concentration (ppm)
Resistance,
Resistance,
Average Resistance,

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Commercial
drink sample

Experiment

BEErs Law & COLOrImEtry

exercise 3
QUestions
Fully discuss answers to the following questions. Yes or No responses are not sufficient.

A. Was your calibration curve as linear as you expected?

B. Did you experience any drift of the resistance readings?

C. What is the equation of your best-fit line?

D. What commercial drink did you analyze?

E. Assuming that the same commercial drink was analyzed in both colorimetry methods, how
did the results compare?

F. Which technique should give more accurate results?

G. What are some of the potential sources for errors in this experiment

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