TITLE

UV-Vis determination of an unknown concentration KMnO4 solution.

OBJECTIVES

1. To determine the maximum wavelength of potassium permanganate.

2. To plot the calibration curve of potassium permanganate.
3. To determine the concentration of an unknown solution of potassium permanganate.

INTRODUCTION

UV-Vis spectra can be used to detect for the presence of absorbing functional groups or
chromophores. UV-visible spectroscopy is a valid, simple and cost effective method for
determining the concentration of absorbing species if applied to pure compounds, and used
with the appropriate standard curve. A standard curve relating absorbance to concentration can
be developed for any compound, and used to determine the concentration of samples containing
the same compound.

By using this UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, we can find inorganic aborbing species such as
transition element ions, lanthanides and actinides as well as inorganic complexes or charge
transfer complexes. The UV-Vis Spectrophotometer can be used for wavelength range of 180
nm to 780 nm as it emit both Visible and UV light.

APPARATUS

Beaker, burette, glass rod, volumetric flask 100 mL and dropper.

CHEMICALS

Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and distilled water.

PROCEDURE

A. Preparation of the KMnO4 Standard Solutions

1. 0.01 g KMnO4 was weighed accurately, to the nearest mg, on a weighing paper. The
reading was recorded. A funnel used to transfer the solid to a 100 mL volumetric
flask.
2. The solid was dissolved with a few mL of distilled water. Stopper and shake the
flask. Distilled water was added to the mark, used a medicine dropper to add the
last few drops. Stopper the flask and shaked several times to homogenize the
solution.
3. The ‘stock’ solution was poured into a beaker. The beaker labelled as ‘100 ppm’.
4. 5.00 mL of the ‘stock’ solution was pipetted and diluted with distilled water in a
100 mL volumetric flask.
5. Transferred into a beaker and labelled it as ‘5 ppm’.
6. Step 4 was repeated using 10 mL, 15mL, and 20 mL stock solution and transferred
into small beaker.
7. The beaker labelled as ’10 ppm’, ’15 ppm’, and ’20 ppm’, respectively.
B. Preparation of the Unknown
1. Pipetted between 5.00 to 20.00 ml of the ‘stock’ KMnO4 solution and diluted with
distilled water in a 100 mL volumetric flask.
2. Transferred into a beaker and labelled it as ‘Unknown’.
QUESTION

1. Why is glass not suitable cell material for use in UV spectroscopy?

Because glass will absorb the UV light, thus, making the absorbance reads both
glass and sample measurement.
2. State one advantage of using the UV-Vis Spectrophotometer compared to a Spectronic
20 for this analysis.
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer will directly plot us the graph compared to Spectronic
20 which we have to plot the graph ourselves.

DISCUSSION

UV-Vis spectroscopy is based on selective absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the

180-780 nm wavelength range. Absorption in UV-Vis is mainly a study of molecules and their
electronic transitions. In this experiment a series of samples and unknown of inorganic complex
had been prepared. The inorganic complex used was KMnO4. The absorption process of the
complex is where the electron jumps from an orbital mostly centered on the ligand to an orbital
mostly centered on the metal ion.

The absorbance can be calculated using Beer’s Law: 𝐴 = 𝜀𝑏𝑐

A is the absorbance of light by the sample, b is the path length of the light (in cm), c is
concentration (in molarity) and 𝜀 is a proportionality constant called the molar extinction
coefficient (expressed in mol-1cm-1).

After finding the λmax from the UV-Vis, the Beer’s Law graph was plotted for KMnO4 and
thus the concentration of the unknown sample can be determined. The correlation coefficient
must be 0.9999 to get accurate reading.

CONCLUSION

The λmax for this experiment is 525.9 nm and the correlation coefficient is 0.99902.

REFERENCE

1. Douglas A. Skoog, Donald M. West, F. James Holler, Stanley R. Crouch (2004).

Fundamental of Analytical Chemistry. 8th Edition.
DATA

Calibration Curve
0.35

y = 0.0149x
0.3 R² = 0.999

0.25

0.2
ABSORBANCE

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
CONCENTRATION (ML/L)