NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Chem 315: Analytical Chemistry I

Problem Set # 1
Instructor: Ms. Ivy Joyce Buan

Direction: Answer the following questions thoroughly. Submit your answers on a single Word
file only or .pdf not later than 4:00PM on, August 31, 2021 through our googleclassroom. Label
your Word file as “PS1_Surname” (for example: PS1_Buan).
PLEASE AVOID PLAGIARISM, or copy-pasting of answers directly over a source such as
the internet. Please take note that late submissions and cases of plagiarism will incur major
deductions. Equations and solutions may be written using the equation tab of the MS Word.

1. In analytical chemistry, what do we mean when we say replicate? Why do we need to do

replicates in a chemical analysis?

2. Differentiate the following terms:

a. Accuracy vs precision
b. Absolute vs relative error
c. Systematic vs random error
d. Repeatability vs reproducibility

3. Explain the procedures on how can we correct for a systematic error in a chemical analysis?

4. Define the following terms. Give the formula (if there is any).
a. Mean
b. Median
c. Standard deviation
d. Variance
e. Coefficient of variance/relative standard deviation

5. Find the mean, median, SD, % RSD, and confidence limits of the following sets of data.
a. 15, 18, 20, 16, 19, 18, 24
b. 78, 85, 81, 91, 87, 85, 90, 79, 90, 92
c. 20.1, 19.4, 19.6, 20.3, 19.8

6. Richards and Willard determined the atomic mass of Li and collected the ff. data: 6.9391,
6.407, 6.9407, 6.9409, 6.9399, 6.9407, 6.391, & 6.9406. Find the mean and median atomic mass.
Also, find the absolute and % relative error assuming that the currently accepted value of 6.941
is the true value.

7. The following sets of data are replicates of pH values of two solutions with different acidity.
Which set of values is more precised? Defend your answer.
Alkaline solution: 11.2, 10.7, 10.9, 11.3, 11.5, 10.5, 10.8, 11.1, 11.2, 11.0
Acidic solution: 5.2, 6.0, 5.2, 5.9, 6.1, 5.5, 5.8, 5.7, 5.7, 6.0

8. Define outliers. What are the two tests for outliers? Define and state the formula for each.

9. Given the set of data, determine whether there is an outlier present at 95% confidence interval
using Q-test. Show your solution. 30.5%, 29.8%, 30.3%, 30.6%.
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Chem 315: Analytical Chemistry I
Problem Set # 1
Instructor: Ms. Ivy Joyce Buan

10. Students dissolve Zn from a galvanized nail and measured the mass lost by the nail to tell
how much of the nail was Zn. Here are the results for 12 replicate trials:
Mass lost (%): 10.2, 10.8, 11.6, 9.9, 9.4, 7.8, 10.0, 9.2, 11.3, 9.5, 10.6, 11.6
Find if there are possible outliers and check using Grubbs test at 95% confidence interval
whether this value should be retained or rejected.