Introduction/Purpose: To explore the concept of concentration by creating a stock solution, diluting it to

5 different concentrations and creating a calibration curve

Experimental Procedure:

Materials List:

Scale Weigh Potassium Ti 83 Plus Data 4 20x150 Two 10 ml

Paper Aluminum Graphing Collection mm Test Graduated
Sulfate Calculator Interface Tubes Cylinders
150 ml .40 M Unknown Wash Bottle Vernier Test Tube Stirring Rod
Beaker Stock Solution with Colorimeter Rack
Solution Distilled
Water

Procedure: Before the experiment was started, the stock solution was made. 5.00 grams of Potassium
aluminum sulfate was measured using a scale, and added to a 50 ml volumetric flask. A small amount
of water was added, the solution was mixed with a stirring rod, and then water was added to the 50 ml
line. Next, 5 concentrations of the solution were created. 2.00 ml, 4.00 ml, 6.00 ml, 8.00 ml, and 10.00
ml of the stock solution were each added to a test tube. Distilled water was added to bring the total
volume of the solution in each test tube to 10.00 ml. The concentrations were .080 M, .16 M, .24 M, .
32 M and .40 M respectively. The data collection apparatus (calculator, colorimeter and LabPro) was
assembled. Each test tube was placed in the colorimeter, and the absorption was noted and recorded. A
sixth unknown sample was also analyzed. The data was then graphed on excel, comparing the
concentration of the solutions to their levels of absorption.

Results: There was a clear, linear increase in the absorption level of the solutions as the concentration
increased. The data took the form of a line, with the equation y = 2.25x -.1402, with and r2 value of .
9997. The unknown was found to have an absorbance value of .530, suggesting a molar concentration
of .301 moles per liter.

Conclusion: The aim of this lab, to learn about solute concentration and its effect on absorption rates
was successfully met. Furthermore, the graph created from the recorded data was successfully used to
determine the concentration of the unknown solution. In future versions of the experiment, it may be
useful to work with multiple compounds to further explore the relationship between solute
concentration and absorbance.

Experiment 8: Determining the Concentration of a

 Solution
Matthew Orenstein 4/5/2017
Luke Klein