BIO1043 MO 23/24

Assessment Instructions

Use the template form “Colourimetry and standard curves” to submit your answer
to the questions below. Substitute your full name and student ID into the title of the
file as indicated. Refer to your practical protocol and the assignment briefing before
submission.

Name:

Student ID:

TOTAL: 100 marks

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Q1a The two dyes methyl red and methyl green absorb light optimally at different
wavelengths. Record the data you obtained for the absorbances of methyl
red and methyl green, at each different wavelength, in the form of an
appropriately labelled graph. (12 marks)
INSERT YOUR GRAPH HERE

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Q1b Use your graph to estimate the optimum wavelength for light absorption of
each dye, their absorption maxima. (Clearly each dye has a different
wavelength of light at which they absorb the most light.) (4 marks)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE

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Q2 In order that the absorbance of 0.5 M copper sulphate could be measured a

stock of this solution had to be made. Show how you calculated the mass of
copper sulphate that would need to be dissolved into water such that the
solution had a final volume of 20 ml and a concentration of 0.5 M. For full
marks your answer should give the details of how you calculated the mass
of copper sulphate to use. (8 marks)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE

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Q3 Using the data obtained in your practical explain what wavelength you chose
to record the absorbances of your copper sulphate dilution series. (8 marks)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE

Q4 Create a table showing what volume of water and what volume of 0.5 M

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copper sulphate were mixed to make your four dilutions of copper sulphate.
Remember the table needs to contain all appropriate information to allow the
experiment to be understood and repeatable. (10 marks)
INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE. (If you find pasting a table into this template
difficult, try saving your table as an image file (e.g. jpg) or taking a screenshot and
inserting that here.)

Q5 Record the absorbance values of the copper sulphate dilution series

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obtained in an appropriately labelled data table. Include the two unknown

copper sulphate solutions and their dilution factor, if appropriate. (11 marks)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE. (If you find pasting a table into this template
difficult, try saving your table as an image file (e.g. jpg) or taking a screenshot and
inserting that here.)

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Q6 Plot a standard curve of the absorbance of the copper sulphate solutions

against their concentration. Do not forget to appropriately label the axes and
give the graph a meaningful title. You need to plot a graph with a line of best
fit through the data points. In Excel this is called a ‘trendline’. You can find
information on how to plot graphs with trendlines rather than a line that joins
all the data points together. You should consider the fact that if there is no
copper sulphate there will be no absorbance. This allows you to set the
intercept value in Excel for the trendline as the origin, 0,0. (12 marks)
INSERT YOUR GRAPH HERE

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Q7 Using your standard curve you will determine the concentration of the two
unknown copper sulphate solutions. Use the graph (not an equation) to
estimate the concentration of the two unknown solutions, based on their
absorbances and explain how you did this in one or two sentences. (8
marks)
INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE

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Q8 Explain in no more than four sentences what you calculate the molar
absorptivity of copper sulphate to be, based on this experiment. You may
use equations but these must be explained, not simply isolated lines of
numbers. If you do not explain the mathematical steps that you are taking
you will not score maximum marks. (15 marks)
INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE

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Q9 Using the Beer Lambert equation and values from your graph accurately
determine the concentration of the two unknown copper sulphate solutions.
Begin your answer with two or three sentences (that may incorporate an
equation) to explain how you have derived these concentrations using your
graph. Without any explanation and simply calculations the maximum marks
that you will receive is 5 for this section. (12 marks)
INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE

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