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Determination of Copper (Ii) Concentration by Colorimetric Method
Determination of Copper (Ii) Concentration by Colorimetric Method
Determination of Copper (Ii) Concentration by Colorimetric Method
DISCUSSION
1. What is the significance of the addition of ammonia to Cu (II) solutions?
The addition of ammonia to the solution was done in order for the following
reaction to proceed:
Cu2+ + 4NH3 [Cu(NH3)4]
2+
The formation of the copper amine complex gives the solution a more intense
blue color than the copper solution. The higher intensity in the color of the
solution results to an increased effectiveness of the examination by the
spectrophotometer. In addition, an excess amount of ammonia was necessary
in order to prevent the hydrolysis of ammonia and the formation of copper
hydroxide precipitate which would affect the absorbance of the solution. [1]
The limitations of the Beer's law include (1) real limitation, (2) chemical
limitation, and (3) instrumental limitation. (1) One condition for a
spectrophotometry procedure to adhere to Beer's Law is that the
concentrations of the solutions used must be dilute. The reason for this is
that the more concentrated a solution is, the closer proximity the molecules
are in with each other, therefore the greater the chance that the electrostatic
interactions in these solutions to affect the absorbance of the solution. (2)
Another condition for chemicals used in a spectrophotometric procedure is
that these must not undergo any chemical reactions along the procedure.
Chemical reactions such as equilibration, formation, precipitation or
equilibration cause a change in the color or the composition of the solution,
therefore changing the absorbance of the solution. (3) Instrumental
limitations include several factors which may affect the effectiveness of the
spectrophotometer. These include polychromatic light, stray light and
improper use of the cuvettes. Polychromatic light or light having multiple
wavelengths will cause a deviation from linearity while stray light always
causes a decrease in the absorbance value of the solution. Proper use of the
cuvette includes awareness of the clear and rough sides of the cuvette. The
side that must be facing the light source is the clear side; otherwise, the
rough side of the cuvette will affect the absorbance measured [1].
8. What are the possible sources of errors and their effect on the calculated
parameters? Rationalize.
Discrepancies in the calculated parameters include the following: (1)
ammonia was not added in excess amount, (2) the rough side of the cuvette
faces the light source, (3) the proper washing procedure for a cuvette for
different solutions was not followed, (4) failure to measure the absorbance of
the blank solution and take it into consideration, (5) failure to measure the
lambda max with the most concentrated solution among the samples, (6)
mismatched cell/cuvette, and (7) inclusion of the blank solution in the
calibration curve.
(1) Ammonia was added to the copper solution in order for the formation of
copper amine complex which results to a deeper and more intense blue
color which increases the effectiveness of the examination of the
spectrophotometer. However, a limited amount of ammonia will only result
to its hydrolysis and cause the formation of copper hydroxide based on
the following chemical reactions:
APPENDIX
A- REPORTED TABULATED VALUES
Table 1. Data for the construction of the calibration curve
Volume of Working
Concentration of
Standard Solution,
Absorbance
Standard Cu(II), ppm
ml
2.00
100
0.110
4.00
200
0.219
6.00
300
0.323
8.00
400
0.432
10.00
500
0.542
Table 2. Data for Sample Analysis
Concentration of
Trial
Absorbance
unknown sample
Cu(II), ppm
1
0.297
273.816156
2
0.302
278.4586815
3
0.294
271.0306407
Concentration of
stock solution
Cu(II), ppm
2489.237782
2531.442559
2463.914915
B- CALCULATIONS
Linear equation of the calibration curve: y=0.001077x + 0.0021
Trial 1:
0.297=0.001077x + 0.0021
x= 273.816156 ppm
(50 ml)(273.816156 ppm)=(5.5 ml)(M of stock Cu(II) solution)
M= 2489.237782 ppm
Trial 2:
0.302=0.001077x + 0.0021
x= 278.4586815 ppm