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UDEC1203 Analytical Chemistry I

Session May 2020
Tutorial 2

1. List FOUR sources of random error in measuring the width of a 4-m table with a 1-m
metal ruler.

2. Jack, Stephanie, Tim and Jennifer were given a task to measure 3.420 mL of water
with a graduated cylinder. The measurements were carried out using the graduated
cylinders described in Table 1. Five replicates of readings are given in the table.

Table 1

Graduated cylinder used Readings

(mL)
Jack A graduated cylinder in a good
condition that has 5 mL capacities and 3.42
graduation marks at each 0.1 mL. The 3.43
graduated cylinder can be read to the 3.41
hundredths place by estimating the 3.44
position of the meniscus between the 3.41
graduations.
Jennifer A graduated cylinder that has 25 mL
capacities and graduation marks at 4.2
each 1 mL. The graduated cylinder 4.1
can be read to the tenths place by 4.3
estimating the position of the 4.3
meniscus between the graduations. A 4.1
glass bead is fused at the bottom of
the graduated cylinder due to a
manufacturing flaw.
Stephanie A graduated cylinder in a good
condition that has 25 mL capacities 3.5
and graduation marks at each 1 mL. 3.3
The graduated cylinder can be read to 3.4
the tenths place by estimating the 3.3
position of the meniscus between the 3.4
graduations.
Tim A graduated cylinder that has 5 mL
capacities and graduation marks at 3.67
each 0.1 mL. The graduated cylinder 3.65
can be read to the hundredths place by 3.64
estimating the position of the 3.68
meniscus between the graduations. A 3.65
glass bead is fused at the bottom of
the graduated cylinder due to a
manufacturing flaw.
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(a) Give a brief comment on the precision and accuracy of the measurements
by referring to the graduated cylinders used by Jack, Stephanie, Tim and
Jennifer.

(b) Provide an explanation to account for the factors that could have affected
the precision and accuracy of the measurement performed by Stephanie in
Q2.(a).

(c) Name the type of error that may have caused by the glass bead fused at the
bottom of graduated cylinders used by Jennifer and Tim in their
measurements. Provide a possible way to remove the error.

3. The mean of eight replicate blood glucose determinations is 74.4 mg glucose/ 100
mL blood. The sample standard deviation is 1.8 mg glucose/ 100 mL blood.
Calculate the 95% confidence interval for the mean glucose concentration.

4. A food chemist wishes to validate a new method that will be used to measure the
vitamin C content of food. A reference orange sample is obtained that has a known
vitamin C of 0.0532 % (w/w). Several replicate measurements of this sample by the
new method give estimated vitamin C contents of 0.0482 %, 0.0471 %, 0.0510 %,
0.0468 %, and 0.0495 %. Is the mean result of the new method the same as the
known content of the reference sample if these values are compared at the 90 %
confidence level?

5. The GC and HPLC methods are used to examine a set of five different samples that
contain various tryptophan concentrations. The mean tryptophan concentrations
obtained by GC and HPLC for the same five samples are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Tryptophan (μM)
Analysis Number GC method HPLC method
1 12.8 12.1
2 35.2 34.7
3 25.1 25.2
4 15.8 15.9
5 31.2 29.8

Determine whether two methods are giving statistically identical results for these
samples at the 95 % confidence level.

6. Measurements of the amino acid tryptophan in a food sample are performed by gas
chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with
the following results in Table 3.
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Table 3

Tryptophan (μM)
Analysis number
GC method HPLC method
1 24.2 23.4
2 24.8 23.9
3 24.4 23.5
4 24.5 24
5 24.3
6 24.6

Is the precision comparable for the two methods at the 95 % confidence level?

7. A student was asked to determine the concentration of a sodium hydroxide solution.

The values that are obtained by this student are as follows:
0.0210 M, 0.0212 M, 0.0208 M, 0.0225 M, and 0.0250 M
Can any of these results be rejected by the Q-test at the 95 % confidence level?

8. Classify the types of the following analyses based on the sample sizes and the
concentration range of constituent by referring to the information given.

(a) Determination of Lead (Pb) content in the range of 0.1-1.0% in a 1 mL

sample of river water.

(b) 80μL of blood sample was taken from a patient for the analyses of glucose
level where the detection range of the instrument in between 1ppb - 50ppb
(ppb = part per billion).

9. Approximately 15% of the particles in a shipment of silver-bearing ore are judged to

be argentite, Ag2S (d = 7.3 g cm-3, 87% Ag); the remainder are siliceous (d = 2.6 g
cm-3) and contain essentially no silver. Calculate the number of particles that should
be taken for the gross sample if the relative standard deviation due to sampling is to
be 1% or less.

10. A serum sample containing Na+ gave a signal of 4.27 mV when measured using
atomic emission analysis. 5.00 mL of 2.08 M NaCl were added to 95.0 mL of serum.
This spiked serum gave a signal of 7.98 mV.

(a) Name the calibration method used in the analysis.

(b) Roughly sketch the calibration

(c) Calculate the original concentration of Na+ in the serum sample.