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Gravimetric Analysis
Gravimetric analysis is a technique through which the amount of
an analyte (the ion being analyzed) can be determined through
the measurement of mass. Gravimetric analyses depend on
comparing the masses of two compounds containing the
analyte. The principle behind gravimetric analysis is that the
mass of an ion in a pure compound can be determined and then
used to find the mass percent of the same ion in a known
quantity of an impure compound. In order for the analysis to be
accurate, certain conditions must be met:

1. The ion being analyzed must be completely precipitated.

2. The precipitate must be a pure compound.
3. The precipitate must be easily filtered.
An example of a gravimetric analysis is the determination of
chloride in a compound. In order to do a gravimetric analysis, a
cation must be found that forms an insoluble compound with
chloride. This compound must also be pure and easily filtered.
The solubility rules indicate that Ag+, Pb2+, and Hg22+ form
insoluble chlorides. Therefore silver chloride could be used to
determine % Cl-, because it is insoluble (that is, about 99.9% of
the silver is converted to AgCl) and it can be formed pure and is
easily filtered.

1. Put enough unknown into a weighing bottle with the lid on

sideways (see Figure 1 below) and dry in the oven. Cool in a
desiccator.
 Figure 1. Sample in a weighing bottle. Note the position of
the lid for heating.

2. Indirectly weigh some mass, determined to 0.1 mg, of

unknown into beaker.
3. Dissolve the unknown.
4. Add a precipiating agent to the solution (see Fig. 2 below).

Figure 2. The addition

of a precipitating
agent.
 Figure 3. Heating the
solution.

5. Optional - heat the solution on a hot plate to increase the

particle size for easier filtering (see Figure 3 above). This is
usually referred to as digestion.
6. Test for complete precipitation by adding a drop of the
precipitating agent and looking for any sign of precipitate.
Click for videos of complete and incomplete precipitation.
7. Filter the solution using vacuum filtration. Use a rubber
policeman (click for video) to make sure all the precipitate has
been transferred from the beaker to the filter. It is important
that the precipitate is quantitatively transferred to the filter. If
any remains in the beaker, the mass obtained will be
inaccurate.
8. Dry and weigh the precipitate.
1. Use stoichiometry to determine the mass of the ion being
analyzed.
2. Find percent by mass of analyte by dividing the mass of the
anayte by the mass of the unknown.
The following calculations would be done for the gravimetric determination of chloride:

Mass of sample of unknown chloride after drying: 0.0984 g

Mass of AgCl precipitate: 0.2290 g
One mole of AgCl contains one mole of Cl-. Therefore:
(0.2290 g AgCl) / (143.323 g/mol) = 1.598 x 10-3 mol AgCl
(1.598 x 10-3 mol AgCl) x (35.453 g/mol Cl) = 0.0566 g Cl
(0.0566 g Cl) / (0.0984 g sample) x 100% = 57.57% Cl in unknown
chloride sample
Notice that even though the mass of sample (0.0984) only
contains three significant figures, the number is known to one
part in a thousand (0.0001/0.0984 = 1/1000). The number
0.0984 therefore actually is "good" to four significant figures
and the answer can be expressed to four significant figures.

If Pb2+ had been used to precipitate the chloride, the

calculuation would need to be modified to account for the fact
that each mole off PbCl2 contains two moles of chloride. Lead
would not be a good precipitating reagent, however, because
PbCl2 is moderately soluble and therefore a small amount of
chloride would remain in solution, rather than in the
precipitate.

NEXT: Index of Refraction

Laboratory Tutorials
Introduction
Determination of Melting Point
 Distillation
Filtering
Gravimetric Analysis
Index of Refraction
Qualitative Analysis
Recrystallization
Selecting a Solvent
Synthesis
Using a Desiccator
Using the Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
Volumetric Analysis
Weighing Techniques

Copyright © 2018 Claude Yoder. All rights reserved.

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