Teacher Notes
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Teacher Notes![]() Preparing and Diluting SolutionsSuper Value Laboratory KitMaterials Included In Kit
Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4•5H2O, 200 g
Pipets, Beral-type, 150 Test tubes, 16 x 125 mm, 150 Additional Materials Required
Water, distilled or deionized
Balance Beaker, 250-mL Bottle, plastic, with cap, 150-mL or larger Funnel Graduated cylinders, 10- and 100-mL Marker, waterproof Paper towels Spatula Stirring rod Test tube rack Volumetric flask, 100-mL, or beaker, 150-mL Wash bottle Wax pencil or labeling tape Weighing dish Safety PrecautionsCopper(II) sulfate is moderately toxic by ingestion and inhalation and is a skin and respiratory irritant. Wear chemical splash goggles, chemical-resistant gloves and a chemical-resistant apron. Please review current Safety Data Sheets for additional safety, handling and disposal information. DisposalPlease consult your current Flinn Scientific Catalog/Reference Manual for general guidelines and specific procedures, and review all federal, state and local regulation that may apply, before proceeding. Dispose of all solutions down the drain with an excess of water according to Flinn Suggested Disposal Method #26b. Lab Hints
Teacher Tips
Answers to Prelab Questions
Sample DataData Table 1. Preparing Serial Dilutions {12032_Data_Table_1_Preparing Serial Dilutions}
Data Table 2. Preparing Dilutions of a Given Molarity
{12032_Data_Table_2_Preparing Dilutions of a Given Molarity}
Data Analysis
Answers to Questions
ReferencesGriswold, N. E.; Neidig, H. A.; Spencer, J. N.; Stanitski, C. Laboratory Handbook for General Chemistry; Chemical Education Resources: Palmyra, PA, 1996; pp 23–24. Recommended Products |
Student Pages
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Student Pages![]() Preparing and Diluting SolutionsIntroductionSolutions are an important part of chemistry. But how are accurate concentrations of solutions prepared? In this laboratory activity, a copper(II) sulfate solution will first be prepared, then diluted to prepare several other solutions with different concentrations. Concepts
BackgroundPreparing Solutions {12032_Background_Equation_1}
Used in conjunction with the molecular weight, MW, of a solute, Equation 1 is used to determine the number of grams of solute needed to prepare a given volume of a solution with a specific concentration. For example, consider the preparation of 500 mL of a 0.80 M solution of sodium chloride, NaCl. The steps below outline this procedure. Step 1—Determine the number of moles necessary to prepare this solution. To do this, rearrange equation 1 to solve for moles. {12032_Background_Equation_2}
{12032_Background_Equation_5}
moles of NaCl = 0.40 moles Therefore, distilled or deionized water must be added to 0.40 moles of NaCl and the resulting solution diluted to a total volume of 500 mL to prepare a 0.80 M solution.Step 2—Convert the number of moles to grams using the molecular weight. {12032_Background_Equation_6}
Therefore, 23 g of NaCl is required to prepare 500 mL of a 0.80 M sodium chloride solution. Once the calculations have been done to determine how much solute is needed to correctly prepare the solution, precise analytical techniques must be followed when actually making the solution. The steps below outline proper solution preparation procedures. Step 3—Obtain a piece of volumetric glassware calibrated to the volume needed. Volumetric glassware is glassware that has been calibrated (and marked) to hold a specific volume. The most common form of volumetric glassware used for preparing solutions is the volumetric flask, a flask that has a long, narrow neck with a marking on it. For a 100-mL volumetric flask, the mark on the neck indicates that when filled to the mark, the flask will contain exactly 100 mL. Because volumetric flasks are expensive, they may not be available for every student lab group. However, solutions are not commonly stored in volumetric flasks, so only a few volumetric flasks are necessary for an entire class to prepare solutions. One group can prepare a solution, then empty the solution into a labeled storage bottle and pass the volumetric flask on to another group. If no volumetric glassware is available for preparing solutions, the glassware must be calibrated before preparing the solution. To calibrate a piece of glassware, a specified volume is poured into the container and the liquid level marked. Step 4—Precisely weigh out the required number of grams (determined in Step 2) of solid on a balance in a weighing dish. Transfer the solid to a clean, dry beaker (with a larger capacity than the necessary volumetric flask). There may be a few grains of solid left on the weighing dish, so use a wash bottle filled with distilled or deionized water to rinse any remaining solid from the weighing dish into the beaker. Rinse the weighing dish several times to make sure that all of the solid was transferred. This process of transferring every bit of the solid is called quantitatively transferring. The rinse water may be enough water to dissolve all of the solid in the beaker. If it is not, add a minimum amount of distilled or deionized water to dissolve any remaining solid. Step 5—Using a funnel, transfer the solution in the beaker to the volumetric flask. Rinse the beaker with a small amount of distilled or deionized water, transferring the rinse water through the funnel into the volumetric flask. Rinse from the beaker through the funnel into the flask several times to thoroughly rinse the beaker and the funnel. Step 6—Fill the volumetric flask with distilled or deionized water. When the flask is about one-half to two-thirds full, cap the flask and invert it several times to make sure the solution is homogeneous. Continue filling the flask until the liquid level is almost at the mark. Fill to the mark with a pipet or wash bottle containing distilled or deionized water drop-by-drop until the bottom of the meniscus is directly on the mark. Again cap the flask and invert it several times to thoroughly mix the solution. Solutions are not generally stored in volumetric flasks, so transfer the solution to a labeled bottle and cap the bottle to prevent evaporation or contamination. Diluting Solutions Experiments often require a solution that is more dilute than what is on hand in the stockroom. In this case, a more concentrated stock solution is diluted to obtain the desired concentration. To carry out a dilution, the following equation is used: Molarityconcentrated soln x volumeconcentrated soln = Molaritydilute soln x volumedilute soln In this equation, Molarityconcentrated soln is the concentration of the stock solution, volumeconcentrated soln is the volume of the stock solution required to prepare the dilute solution, Molaritydilute soln is the concentration of the dilute solution, and volumedilute soln is the volume of the dilute solution needed. The equation is commonly written with a 1 in place of concentrated soln, a 2 in place of dilute soln, and the multiplication signs are eliminated.M1 V1 = M2 V2 For example, assume that the 0.80 M sodium chloride solution prepared in the example above is in the stockroom, but for another experiment, 100 mL of a 0.20 M sodium chloride solution is needed. The 0.20 M solution is prepared by diluting the 0.80 M solution. In a dilution, M1, M2, and V2 from equation 6 are generally known. Equation 6 is rearranged to solve for the unknown V1.{12032_Background_Equation_3}
The known values are substituted into Equation 5 to solve for the volume of the concentrated solution required to prepare the dilute solution.
{12032_Background_Equation_4}
{12032_Background_Equation_7}
But how are these values used to actually prepare the new solution? First, 25 mL of the stock 0.80 M sodium chloride solution must be measured. This can be done in several ways depending on the equipment available in the laboratory. One common method involves using a graduated cylinder. For greatest accuracy always use the smallest graduated cylinder that will contain the necessary volume. In this example, a clean, dry 100-mL graduated cylinder would work well. Using a Beral-type pipet, transfer 25 mL of the 0.80 M solution to the graduated cylinder, taking care not to get any droplets of liquid on the sides of the cylinder. Fill the graduated cylinder so that the bottom of the meniscus is exactly at the 25-mL mark. Then fill the remainder of the cylinder with distilled or deionized water using a wash bottle. When the level of the solution is almost at the 100-mL mark, stir the solution to ensure it is homogeneous. Finish filling the cylinder to the 100-mL mark with water from the wash bottle until the bottom of the meniscus is exactly at the 100-mL mark. Again stir the solution to thoroughly mix it. At this point, 100 mL of a 0.20 M sodium chloride solution has been accurately prepared and can be used in the new experiment. The solution should not be stored in the graduated cylinder, however. Instead, transfer it to a labeled bottle and cap the bottle to prevent evaporation or contamination. The above example is merely one kind of dilution that may be needed. A serial dilution is a dilution where a series of solutions are prepared, each one 1⁄10 as concentrated as the previous one. To prepare serial dilutions, 1 mL of the stock solution is diluted with 9 mL of water. Then 1 mL of this solution is diluted with 9 mL of water. This process is repeated until the desired concentration has been reached. Equation 4 can be used to calculate the concentration of the more dilute solution; however, because each solution is 1⁄10 as concentrated, the concentrations can simply be divided by 10 down the line. For example, if a serial dilution was performed on the 0.80 M sodium chloride solution above, the first dilution would be 0.080 M, the second 0.0080 M, the third 0.00080 M, and so on. Serial dilutions are commonly used in microbiology where the solution being diluted contains bacterial colonies. It is important that the number of colonies growing in the solution not be too large, so bacterial solutions are commonly diluted down to concentrations 1,000,000 (106) times more dilute than the original solution! Materials
Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4•5H2O
Water, distilled or deionized Balance Beaker, 250-mL Bottle, plastic, with cap, 150-mL or larger Funnel Graduated cylinder, 10-mL Graduated cylinder, 100-mL Marker, waterproof Paper towels Pipets, Beral-type, 2 Spatula Stirring rod Test tubes, 16 x 125 mm, 5 Test tube rack Volumetric flask, 100-mL, or beaker, 150-mL Wash bottle Wax pencil or labeling tape Weighing dish Prelab Questions
Safety PrecautionsCopper(II) sulfate is moderately toxic by ingestion and inhalation and is a skin and respiratory irritant. Wear chemical splash goggles, chemical-resistant gloves and a chemical-resistant apron. Please review current Safety Data Sheets for additional safety, handling and disposal information. ProcedureNote: If a volumetric flask is not available, skip Part A and proceed directly to Part B. If a volumetric flask is available, proceed with Part A, then skip to Part C.
Student Worksheet PDF |