Name: Eldee R.

Balolong
Student Number: 2007-58545
Class-Section: Chem 28.1-1
Date Performed: September 25, 2008
Date Submitted: October 7, 2008

TITLE. Spectrophotometric Determination of Permanganate(Experiment 9)

I. RESULTS.

Data and Results

A. Permanganate Standards

Concentration of KMNO4

Volume of 0.1 M KMNO4 Concentration of Standard

(mL) (ppm)
0.5 0.0003164
1.0 0.00063278
3.0 0.001898
4.0 0.002531

B. Determination of Absorption Maxima(at the 3.0 mL reference)

Absorbance
Wavelength
500 0.125
505 0.140
510 0.142
515 0.151
520 0.170
525 0.171
530 0.162

C. Determination of Calibration Curve

Concentration of Standard Absorbance

(ppm)
0.0003164 0.025
0.0006328 0.039
0.001898 0.171
0.002531 0.181
D. Analysis of the Unknown

Unknown Sample Absorbance Concentration (ppm)

0.128 9.992

1
2 0.128 9.992
3 0.128 9.992

II. Sample Calculations

A. Concentration of standard

M1V1=M2V2

Where M1=0.01M and V1=0.5 mL; V2=100.0 mL(volumetric flask which was used)

M2=(M1V1)/V2

M2=(0.01M*0.5mL)/100.0mL

M2=0.00005 M or 5 x 10-3 mmol/mL

To get ppm:

*take note that ppm=mg/L thereby transforming the mmol/mL to mg/L

ppm=(0.00005 mmol/mL)*(MW of KMnO4)*(1000 mL/1L)

ppm=(0.00005 mmol/mL)*(158.0339 mg/mmol KMnO4)*(1000 mL/1L)

ppm=0.00031639 mg/L

NOTE: in getting the concentration of the other volumes of the 0.01 M, just simply
substitute it to V1.

B. Concentration of the unknown

 *in the analysis of the unknown

Concentration(ppm):

Concentration=f(x)

f(x)=78.07x – 0.001

f(x)=78.07(0.128)-0.001

f(x)= 9.99196 ppm

By virtue of transitivity, the concentration in ppm is 258.7 ppm

III. Discussion

Spectroscopy, in physics and physical chemistry, is the study of spectra. Each

chemical element has its own characteristic spectrum is the basis for spectroscopy;
Gustav Kirchoff and William Bunsen; recognized this fact about the different elements.
Both of them developed the prism spectroscope in its modern form and applied it to
chemical analysis. One of two principal spectroscope types, this instrument consists of a
slit for admitting light from an external source, a group of lenses, a prism, and an
eyepiece. Light that is to be analyzed passes through a collimating lens, which makes the
light rays parallel, and the prism; then the image of the slit is focused at the eyepiece.
One actually sees a series of images of the slit, each a different color, because the light
has been separated into its component colors by the prism. The German scientists were
the first to recognize that characteristic colors of light, or the spectra, are emitted and
absorbed by particular elements.\

As being the main actor in this experiment, the spectrophotometer is the one mainly
and widely used for measuring the intensity of a particular spectrum in comparison to the
intensity of a particular spectrum; also, in comparison to the intensity of light from a
standard source. The concentration of the substance that emits or absorbs the spectrum
can be determined from this comparison. The spectrophotometers are also useful for
studying spectra in the nonvisible areas because their detecting elements are bolometers
or photoelectric cells. The former are particularly applicable to infrared spectrum
analysis, and the latter to ultraviolet spectrum analysis.

The experiment simply concerns about the use of light in the determination of a
certain compound; this adheres to the aforementioned paragraph about a unique
characteristic of each element to produce and emit a certain spectrum and is in turn
utilized by the SPECTROPHOTOMETER.

To add up, light is emitted and absorbed in nature in minute units or corpuscles called
photons or quanta. The energy of a single photon is directly proportional to the
frequency; therefore inversely proportional to the wavelength. The particular colors, or
wavelengths of the light quanta emitted or absorbed by an atom or a molecule depend in a
rather complicated way on its structure and on the possible periodic motions of its
constituent particles; since this structure and these periodic motions determine the total
energy, potential plus kinetic of the atom or molecule. The constituent particles of an
atom are its nucleus, which does not contribute to the emission and absorption of light
because it is heavy and moves very sluggishly; the surrounding electrons, which move
about rapidly in distinct orbits, the atom then emits or absorbs a quantum of light of a
definite color when one of its electrons jumps from one orbit to another. The constituent
parts of a molecule are the nuclei of the various atoms that compose the molecule and the
electrons that surround each nucleus. The emission and absorption of light by a molecule
are accounted for by its possible modes of rotation, by the possible modes of oscillation
of its atomic nuclei, and by the periodic motions of its electrons in their various orbits.
Whenever the mode of vibration or rotation of a molecule changes, changes also occur in
its electronic motions, and the light of a definite color either is absorbed or is emitted.

Thus, if the wavelengths of the photons that are emitted by a molecule or an atom can
be measured, considerable information can be deduced about the structure of the atom or
molecule and about the possible modes of periodic motion of its constituent parts(Motz,
Lloyd. "Spectroscopy." Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft
Corporation, 2007. )

Figure 1. Absorbance versus Wavelength of the 3.0 mL reference concentration

In figure 1, from wavelengths 500 to 520 nm, the slope of the graph is increasing with
respect to the first derivative of the graph; though it is not so evident in the graph. The
reference liquid had 525 nm as its maximum absorbance based on the start to decrease
trend with the 530 nm mark. From this point, 525 nm now becomes the standard
wavelength for all the solutions and even the unknown; given that 3.0 mL is the reference
solution. Assuming it had this value, the analysts were able to yield data for the said set
of concentrations; respectively 0.5, 1.0 and 4.0 mL. After this, Figure 2 is below this
paragraph to reflect more on the absorbance of the 4 respective solutions(0.5, 1, 3 and 4
mL).

As defined, Absorbance is the relative ability of a substance to absorb radiation; and this
radiation came from a source known as the spectrophotometer where the samples were
placed in a testube-like ‘cubit’ which is then to be subjected to radiation. As the results
have shown, it is only up to 525 nm that the graph increases and after it, it starts to
decline already.

Figure 2. Concentration of the solutions versus Absorbance

Figure 2 shows the concentration versus the absorbance graph. As seen, y=78.07x
-0.001 showing the concentration dependent on the absorbance for convenience purposes.
3.0 mL being the 2nd highest in the volumes for the 0.1 M KMnO4, it was used as a
standard in getting the MAXIMUM absorption from that concentration from a
wavelength of 350 to 650 nm. The spectrophotometer was used to determine the
maximum absorbance of the 3.0 mL concentration of KMnO4 and is at wavelength of 525
that it had the highest and after 5 nm, it started to decrease already. 3.0 mL was used as
the standard here since convenience would tell us of a more likely maxima that would
cover up for all the concentrations. Suppose to be the graph would be in an absorbance
versus concentration graph, the opposite was utilized for convenience, again, in yielding
the concentration of the unknown sample
IV. Comment
Since there was a deficiency in the number of volumetric flasks, the possible
learning from each student was lessened by that deficiency. Although we did
perform the experiment, personally I got confused with some of the methods.
There could have been a chance for each group to perform the experiment; at
the same time, to have an in depth treatment with spectrophotometry and on
how to use it to determine relative concentration of different compounds in
various media.