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If the path length b of the light is held constant, by using cells of the
same size, a straight line is obtained by plotting absorbance versus
concentration. The slope of the line is b.
A typical absorbance-concentration curve is shown in Figure Below.
Such a plot is an example of a standard curve known as a Beer's law
plot. If the absorbance for a colored solution of unknown
concentration is then measured, its concentration can be read from
the standard curve. This can be done graphically or algebraically by
using the (linear regression) equation that best fits the data. The
latter is usually much more precise than reading off of the graph,
and so it is the better way to proceed. However, it is always a good
idea to use your graph to check that your calculated answer makes
sense. This same idea was used back in experiment 3 (Density of
Aqueous Solutions) when you constructed a standard curve by
If the slope of the Beers Law Plot is relatively flat, a small change
in our measured absorbance will result in a large change in the
concentration. But, if the line is steep, a small change in absorbance
will have a smaller effect on the concentration. Thus, it is best to do
the analysis at a wavelength where the species of interest absorbs
strongly. For this reason, the first step in a spectrophotometric
analysis is to find the wavelength where the absorbance is a
maximum, max.
IN THIS EXPERIMENT
The relationship between absorbance and wavelength will be
investigated by measuring the absorbance spectra of KMnO 4
solutions. The absorbance of each of a series of standard solutions
(of known concentration) will be measured and a standard curve
constructed by plotting absorbance vs. concentration. The