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Chem 112 – Experiment 2 – Simulation – Spectrophotometric Analysis of Copper .
Typology: Lab Reports
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General
An experiment that I always wanted to introduce into Chem 112 was “Synthesis of a Copper Coordination Complex” however the subsequent analysis of the copper in the complex involved Spectrophotometric Analysis, involving the use of a UV Spectrometry that the sheer size of the Chem 112 class and the cost of these spectrometers precluded. Instead it was an experiment that was confined to Chem 121H.
This experiment involves some background theory that you may not meet in class and thus to facilitate understanding this process I would like to introduce you to a former college of mine, Prof. William Vining who has developed a beautiful introduction to this with some novel experiments and even a section that shows you how you could potentially use a smart phone to make crude spectrophotometric analysis. This is just background material for you and is not part of the laboratory report.
Spectroscopy
A solution appears colored because it absorbs certain wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum while transmitting or reflecting others. The absorbance or transmission of light at specific wavelengths is measured using spectrophotometry. Spectrophotometry data can be used to determine the concentration of a colored substance in solution.
Spectrophotometry is a technique that measures the amount of light absorbed by a colored sample. The more concentrated a colored substance in a solution is, the more light it absorbs. Therefore, this technique can be used to analyze sample solutions of unknown concentration. The proportion of light that passes through a solution is called transmittance, whereas the proportion of light that is absorbed is called absorbance. A spectrophotometer is an instrument that quantitatively measures the proportion of light that passes through a solution at different wavelengths. In a spectrophotometry experiment, the sample solution is contained in a cuvette which is placed in the spectrophotometer. Light from a lamp is focused on the sample, and the light transmitted through the sample is detected.
Transmittance is often expressed as a percentage and is calculated as shown below.
where T : is transmittance. I 0 : is intensity of light received by solution. I : is the amount of light transmitted by the substance.
Absorbance is related to transmittance by the equation below.
where A : is absorbance. Based on the equation above, A has values between 0 and 2. Using a spectrophotometer, both %T and A can be measured.
Absorption Spectrum
The plot of the absorbance of a solution at a range of wavelengths is called an absorption spectrum. A colored solution will have one or more absorption maximum (λmax or lambda max) in the visible spectrum. Visible wavelengths cover a range from approximately 400 to 700 nm. The longest visible wavelength is red and the shortest is violet. The figure below illustrates this range as well as the absorption spectra of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b.
Beer’s Law
Absorbance is related to concentration as defined by Beer’s law, shown below.
Where A: is the measured absorbance. ε: is the molar extinction coefficient in M –1^ cm –^. c: is the molar concentration in mol/L. l: is the path length in cm.
The molar extinction coefficient and path length are constant for a given substance and experimental setup. Therefore, if the absorbance of a standard solution with a known concentration is measured, an unknown concentration can be determined using the equation below.
Experiment 2_1 – Determine the λmax of Colored Solutions.
Experiment 2_2 – Measure Absorbance versus Concentration for Cu 2+^ Ions.
CuSO 4 (mL) HNO 3 (mL) Cu2+^ (M) Flask 1 20 20? Flask 2 15 5? Flask 3 10 0 0.
Experiment 2_3 – Determine the Cu 2+^ Concentration in Unknown Solutions of Copper(II)Sulfate.