A. Reyes / Chemistry 26.

1 (2019) P a g e |1

Quantitative Determination of Copper(II) Concentration by Spectrophotometry

A. N. Reyes1; M. Derelo2
1Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering

2Division of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

Performed 13 November 2019; Submitted 20 November 2019

ABSTRACT

Iodine Clock Reaction was used to demonstrate the relation between the temperature, concentration of the reactants,
presence of catalyst in a solution and the overall reaction rate of the solution. 5 different runs of reactant A and B with
varying concentrations was mixed until the color of the solution changes from colorless to deep blue. Rate law was used to
determine the relationship of the reaction rate and the concentration of the reactant while Arrhenius equation was used to
determine the temperature dependence of the reaction rate of the system. CuSO4 was used as a catalyst due to the two-
step reaction of the system leaving excess I-, lowering the activation energy needed thus increasing the rate of reaction.
The calculated Arrhenius constant and activation energy are 5.33 and 871.19J/mol respectively.

fingerprint that can alter the data on absorbance. It must

Introduction
Materials and Methods
Solution Preparation
Materials, Equipment, Glassware, and Chemicals
Top Loading Balance
Shimadzu UVmini-1240 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
Plastic cuvette
Volumetric Flasks (50, 250mL)
Measuring Pipettes (10mL)
Beakers (100mL)
Cu(NO3)2, 5H2O
Concentrated NH3
A. Solution Preparation
The researchers produced a stock solution by dissolving
an appropriate amount of Cu(NO3)2·5H2O crystals in a
distilled water to produce a 250mL, 2500ppm Cu(II)
standard solution. A solution with no copper and
ammonia will be used as a blank solution to calibrate the
spectrometer. The standard solutions were then
transferred into six (6) different volumetric flasks with
varying measures of the standard solution. Ammonia
was added to the copper solution to form a Copper-
Ammonia Complex. The complex solution has a dimmer
color than the blank solution.
B. Determination of the Analytical Wavelength
To determine the analytical wavelength, a UV-vis
spectrometer was used. A plastic cuvette was filled with
the most concentrated standard solution was put first to
avoid contaminating the concentration of other
solutions. The cuvette must only be held at the top part
where it is opaque to avoid smudging the sides with
also be washed by distilled water after use and the
sample reagent before every test to avoid unneeded
dusts and only wipe the cuvette by damping it in
“Kimwipes” to absorb the remaining water that can alter
the data as well as to avoid unnecessary scratches in the
cuvette. Once the sample-filled cuvette was placed in the
sample holder, close the cabinet to prevent the light of
the room from entering and set the wavelength range
from 300nm to 700nm and scan the sample by pressing
the green button on the spectrophotometer.
C. Preparation of Callibration Curve
For the preparation of calibration curve, the absorbance
of the solutions with varying volumes of the standard
solution was measured using the UV-vis spectrometer. A
cuvette containing a blank solution was first aligned and
inserted to calibrate the absorbance of a solution. All
samples must be performed on the same cuvette to
guarantee a more precise calculation since varying
thickness of cuvettes can alter the data. Press 1 for
photoelectric mode then set the wavelength by pressing
the “WL” button. Press the auto zero button to reset the
absorbance reading then remove the cuvette from the
cabinet. The process was then repeated to the standard
solution from the one with the lowest concentration up
to the final sample with the highest concentration. The
absorbance reading was displayed on the screen of the
spectrophotometer so no need to push any buttons.
Results and Discussion
The following values in Table 1 were used for the data
treatment to find the equation of the best fit line. Using the
best fit line, the concentration of the solution can be
measured.
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TABLE 1: Calibration Curve Values https://www.filterwaterdirect.com/information/h

Volume of Concentration Absorption ow-to-treat-hard-water.
the Sample of Cu of the
(mL) solution [4] Libretexts. (2019, June 5). Case Study: Hard Water.
10 427.6 .339 Retrieved October 18, 2019, from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Inorgani
2 85.52 .064
c_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Inorganic_Ch
4 171.04 .132 emistry)/Descriptive_Chemistry/Main_Group_Reac
6 256.54 .204 tions/Case_Study:_Hard_Water.
8 342.08 .265

Using the equation y=mx+b, let x be the concentration of the

solution, m is the absorbance and b is constant. Based on the
excel graph in Appendix 1, the slope is .000799 and its y-
intercept is -.0041. Theoretically, the initial value of the
sample must be (0,0) in x and y-axis due to the blank
solution that was used to calibrate the spectrophotometer
and no light must pass through the initial sample. The y-
intercept in the data can be attributed that something in the
blank solution is absorbing light thus the sample has a slight
deviation.

TABLE 2: Absorbance of Unknown Sample

TRIAL Absorbance Concentration
(ppm)
1 0.197 1258.44806
2 0.194 1239.674593
3 0.194 1239.674593
Average 0.195 1245.932416
Percent 2.889133631%
Error

The 3 trials showed a varying measurement in the

absorbance of the solution. The average absorbance value
of the solution is 0.195 and has an average concentration of
1245.932, not far from the theoretical 1283 ppm thus
having a percent error of 2.88%.

Conclusion and Recommendations

.

References
[1] Importance of Water. (2017, September). Retrieved
October 18, 2019, from
http://essenceofwater.org/importance-of-water/.

[2] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION. (2009). DIRECTIVE
2009/54/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 June 2009 on the
exploitation and marketing of natural mineral
waters. Official Journal of the European Union ,
(164), 44–54. Retrieved from https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32009L0054&f
rom=EN

[3] Hard Water can easily be treated before it damages

fixtures and appliances in your home. (2010).
Retrieved October 18, 2019, from
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Appendix