Essay On Spectrophotometry

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Experiment 1: The Composition of Aqueous Complexes by UV-vis Spectrophotometry
CHEM 4310L Analytical Chemistry II
Call Section 100
Monday, Wednesday9:40-12:45
Joshua Holley, Kyle McQauid
01/22/14

Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the stoichiometry of a complex ion using Job’s method. In doing so, experience is gained in using the techniques and instrumentation involved in absorbance spectrophotometry.
When a metal cation (M) reacts with a ligand (L) a complex forms. The ligand acts as a Lewis base in the reaction and forms a coordinate covalent bond as the ligands lone pair goes to an empty orbital within the metal. To illustrate this: xM + yL → MxLy where x and y are stoichiometric ratios. To determine the ratios it is possible to use Job’s method. Also known as continuous variance, Job’s method carefully used reactant mixtures such that the total moles and volumes of reactants are constant [Harris, 2010].When just enough of the metal and ligand react the most product is formed. Measuring the absorbance of each solution, the absorbance can be plotted versus a mole fraction of metal or ligand. Using the two resulting equations the mole ratio can be determined. Absorbance is measured by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. This method uses visible light and ultraviolet light to excite an electron within a molecule. This will release a photon colored as what colors the molecule doesn’t absorb as the electron returns to its previous energy level. The UV-vis spectroscopic machine then uses this to measure absorbance [Misra 2002]. In this experiment, iron (II) will react with 1, 10-phenanthroline (shown below) to form iron (II)-phenanthroline. This reaction is shown as:

Fe_x^(2+)+phen_y→Fe_x...

... middle of paper ...

...roxylamine hydrochloride was left with the lid open when weighing out the appropriate mass to make the solution, and it is hygroscopic. There seemed to be some confusion on how to give the UV-vis machine a baseline. Negative values were given back on UV-vis which is unexpected.

Conclusion and Opinion
Overall, I enjoyed this lab even though there was a lot of down time and I look forward to the rest of the semester, but I wish people would be wary of contamination and the importance of washing and drying glassware before using it and after using it.

References
Misra, P. (2002). Ultraviolet spectroscopy and UV lasers. New York: Marcel Dekker.

Barlag, B. (2014) Quantitative Analysis II. CHEM 4310L Lab Procedure. Ohio
University
Harris, D.C. (2012). Quantitative chemical analysis. (8th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman.

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