Mapua University

Senior High School

Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics

CHM02/MS102
EXPERIMENT NO. 4
DETERMINE EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANT USING
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
Abaño, Daphnie Anjonette B.
Dela Paz, Paul Ethan T.
Estilles, Jerich Anthony B.
Gatchalian, Richmonde Paulo G.
Ramoya, Sean Heinrich A.
Instructor: Mr. Eleazar Jude R. Delos Santos

ABSTRACT
Chemical equilibrium pertains to the condition where the reactants’ and products’ concentrations
remain constant because the forward and reverse reactions are equal. The objective of this experiment is
to determine the equilibrium constant of each solution by applying Beer-Lambert’s law on concentration
and absorbance on a calibration curve and recorded lab data. It was conducted by creating a stock solution
with iron (III) nitrate, potassium thiocyanate, and DI water. This solution was to be used on the three
diluted solutions. Note that all observations and measurements are recorded as lab data. Next was to create
the three diluted solutions with different volumes of DI water. The spectrophotometer was then calibrated
and the solutions were transferred into cuvettes to be measured and recorded. A calibration curve is then
created and the linear regression determined the molar absorptivity. Afterwards, five solutions were
prepared with the same total volume, only with varying potassium thiocyanate volumes that are
compensated by DI water. They were transferred to cuvettes and their absorbances were measured on the
spectrophotometer. Using a derived Beer-Lambert equation, the concentrations were calculated. With the
acquired data, the equilibrium constants for each solution were calculated as well as their average. The
difference shown in the equilibrium constant may be a result of the temperature differences, since the
temperature was not accounted for; but the overall experiment was a success due to the careful handling
of clean instruments.
Keywords: equilibrium, spectrophotometry, equilibrium constant, beer’s law

Introduction reactions are reversible. The reactants create

A chemical reaction is not always products, then it also creates back reactants
unidirectional which means it is not always which simply means that there are both forward
written in one direction, however all chemical and reverse reactions. Chemical equilibrium is
the condition wherein reactants and products are
present in a concentration that remains constant,
that is why there is no change observed
(LibreTexts, 2020). This results when the rate of
the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the
reverse reaction, which means there is no net
change, this is also called dynamic equilibrium.
According to LibreTexts (2020), “Equilibrium
constant expresses the relationship between
products and reactants of a reaction at
equilibrium with respect to a specific unit (K).”
The formula for the Equilibrium constant is
written below:
[𝐶]𝑐 [𝐷]𝑑
𝐾𝑐 = [𝐴]𝑎[𝐵]𝑏 [Equation 1]
In a chemical reaction the direction of the
reaction can either be forward or reverse as
mentioned, which means there may be
disturbances made. In order to maintain
equilibrium Le Chatelier’s principle is applied.
Le Chatelier’s principle states that when any
system experiences disturbance in concentration,
temperature, volume, or pressure the system will
restore a new equilibrium state (Khan Academy,
n.d.).
Beer-Lambert law states that the
concentration is directly proportional to the
absorbance of the light (Rafferty, 2019). This
law will be applied in the experiment as a colored
solution will be utilized, and using this law, the
intensity of the solution’s color is related to its
concentration. With the help of Beer-Lambert
law the researchers will be able to create a
calibration curve and calculate the equilibrium
constant. The formula for Beer-Lambert is
written below:
𝐴 = 𝜀𝑙𝑐 [Equation 2]
To determine the measure of absorbed
light in a given solution and the molar
absorptivity value, spectrophotometry will be
also applied in the experiment. According to
LibreTexts (2020), spectrophotometry is defined
as “The measure of how much a chemical
substance absorbs light by measuring the
intensity of light as a beam of light passes
through sample solution.” Therefore, the
researchers will be able to determine the other
objectives of the experiment with the help of
spectrophotometry.
The objective for the experiment is to
collect the absorbance and necessary data to
create a calibration curve, and to determine the
following: molar absorptivity, equilibrium
concentration, and the equilibrium constant. It
was hypothesized that for all members, the
constant would be the same since it is not
possible to alter. The researchers will be able to
accomplish the objectives with the help of
materials given in the laboratory.
Materials and Methods
Before conducting stoichiometric
calculations for determining the equilibrium
constant of the formation of an iron (III)
thiocyanate complex ion, 𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ , a stock
solution was made. The stock solution helps save
time for creating diluted solutions. First, 10.00
mL of 0.35000 M (it can vary for each member)
iron (III) nitrate solution, 𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3, was added
to the stock beaker using a clean, 10-mL
graduated pipet. With a different 5-mL graduated
pipet, 2.00 mL of 0.00250 M (it can vary for each
member) potassium thiocyanate solution, KSCN,
was also added thereafter. Finally, a different,
10-mL graduated pipet, 8.00 mL deionized (DI)
was added. A stirring rod was utilized to mix the
stock solution. The measured concentrations,
color, and volume of both solutions—together
with the measured volume of deionized water,
were recorded as lab data. The stock solution
created consisted a small amount of potassium
thiocyanate solution with a large excess of iron
(III) nitrate solution that ultimately shifted the
equilibrium reaction toward the products. That
being said, the data recorded allowed for the
calculation of the concentration of iron (III)
thiocyanate complex ion (in M) for stock solution
for which the equation is as follows:
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
(𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁)(𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁)
=
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
[Equation 3]
Diluted solutions were subsequently
created from the prepared stock solution. Using
different 5-mL graduated pipets for each
substance, 4.00 mL of stock solution were
transferred to three test tubes, whilst deionized
water was added to the test tubes in different
volumes; 1.00 mL for tube 1, 2.00 mL for tube 2,
and 3.00 mL for tube 3. The solution was mixed
with a clean stirring rod. The measured volumes
of the transferred substances were also recorded
as lab data. The iron (III) thiocyanate complex
ion concentrations (in M) of each diluted solution
were calculated using the same [Equation 3]
After preparing the diluted solutions, the
spectrophotometer was calibrated. The following
solutions were transferred into separate 1-cm
cuvettes using Pasteur pipets: 0.35000 M (it can
vary for each member) iron (III) nitrate solution,
stock solution, solution 1, solution 2, and
solution 3. The cuvettes are then wiped with
clean wipes. Proper handling of cuvettes should
be observed as it is essential to the
spectrophotometric analysis. Disregarding this
step can give inaccurate results. The cuvette
containing iron (III) nitrate solution was then
placed into the instrument to calibrate the
instrument. Spectrophotometers need to be
calibrated with water or any blank solution, in
this case, the iron (III) nitrate solution, because
this will serve as the zero references of the
succeeding measurements. After calibration, the
cuvette containing the stock solution replaced the
iron (III) nitrate solution and had its wavelength
entered. The sample was also measured and its
absorbance was recorded as lab data.
The remaining cuvettes containing
solutions 1, 2, and 3 were subsequently placed
into the spectrophotometer, having their
absorbances measured and recorded. This
allowed for a calibration curve to be created.
Indicating the linear regression of the created
graph determined the molar absorptivity, ɛ. This
was also recorded as lab data.
Five test tubes were utilized for making
several iron (III) thiocyanate solutions. Using
different 5-mL graduated pipets for each
solution, 5.00 mL of 0.00350 M (it can vary for
each member) iron (III) nitrate solution was first
added to the test tubes. Afterward, the
thiocyanate solutions of similar concentration
were also transferred; 5.00 mL for tube 1, 4.00
mL for tube 2, 3.00 mL for tube 3, 2.00 mL for
tube 4, and 1.00 mL for tube 5. Deionized water
was also added in four of the tubes with different
volumes; 1.00 mL for tube 2, 2.00 mL for tube 3,
3.00 mL for tube 4, and 4.00 mL for tube 5. A
clean stirring rod was used to mix each solution.
The initial concentrations of both iron (III) ion
and thiocyanate ion (in M) for each solution were
subsequently calculated using the following
equations:
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ][𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
[𝐹𝑒]𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑥𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒
[Equation 4]
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]( 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 [𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] )
[𝑆𝐶𝑁]𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑥𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒
[Equation 5]
The five solutions were transferred, using
clean Pasteur pipets, into separate cuvettes
wherein each sample was placed into the
spectrophotometer to have its absorbance
measured and recorded. A manipulated form of
the Beer-Lambert law equation using the
measured absorbance, the molar absorptivity,
and the path length of the cuvette—which is
exactly 1 cm, for calculating the iron (III)
thiocyanate complex ion concentration (in M)
was utilized for each solution:
𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 (𝐴)
𝑐=
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑀) ∗ 1𝑐𝑚 (𝑙)
 [Equation 6] Concentratio 0.00024 0.00020 0.00017
n iron (III) 0 0 1
Finally, with the recently acquired data, thiocyanate
the equilibrium constant for each solution, as ion
well as the average equilibrium constant, were [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
calculated and reported in three significant (M)
figures. Table 1.2
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
𝐾𝑐 =
[𝐹𝑒 3+ ] ∗ [𝑆𝐶𝑁 − ] Solution Concentration Absorbance
[Equation 7] iron (III)
thiocyanate ion
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
Results and Discussion (M)
I. RESULTS Stock 0.000300 0.381
Solution 0.000240 0.305
Concentration iron (III) 0.40000 1
nitrate [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] (M) Solution 0.000200 0.254
Color of iron (III) yellow 2
nitrate Solution 0.000171 0.217
Concentration 0.00300 3
potassium thiocyanate Table 1.3
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
Color of potassium colorless Molar 1270
thiocyanate absorptivity
Volume iron (III) 10.00 (𝑀−1 𝑐𝑚−1 )
nitrate (mL)
Volume potassium 2.00
thiocyanate (mL)
Volume DI water (mL) 8.00
Concentration iron (III) 0.000300
thiocyanate ion in stock
solution [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
(M)
Graph 1
Color of stock solution red-
orange
Table 1.1
Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti
Solution Solution Solution on 1 on 2 on 3 on 4 on 5
1 2 3 Concentr 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004
Volume 4.00 4.00 4.00 ation 00 00 00 00 00
iron (III)
stock
nitrate
solution [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
(mL) (M)
Volume DI 1.00 2.00 3.00 Concentr 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004
water (mL) ation 00 00 00 00 00
potassiu
m
 thiocyan Concentration iron (III) 0.000250
ate thiocyanate ion in stock
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
(M)
solution [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
Volume 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 (M)
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] Color of stock solution red-
Volume 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 orange
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] Table 2.1
Volume 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00
DI water
(mL) Solution Solution Solution
Initial 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 1 2 3
concentr 00 00 00 00 00 Volume 4.00 4.00 4.00
ation stock
[𝐹𝑒 3+ ]
solution
(M)
Initial 0.002 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.000 (mL)
concentr 00 60 20 800 400 Volume DI 1.00 2.00 3.00
ation water (mL)
[𝑆𝐶𝑁 − ] Concentratio 0.00020 0.00016 0.00014
(M)
n iron (III) 0 7 3
Absorban 0.784 0.587 0.474 0.369 0.165
ce thiocyanate
Equilibri 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 ion
um 617 462 373 291 130 [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ] (M)
(M)
Table 2.2
Equilibri 323 264 277 335 257
um
constant Solution Concentration Absorbance
𝐾𝑐 iron (III)
Table 1.4 thiocyanate ion
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
Average 𝐾𝑐 291 (M)
Stock 0.000250 0.341
Solution 0.000200 0.273
Concentration iron (III) 0.35000 1
nitrate [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] (M) Solution 0.000167 0.228
Color of iron (III) yellow 2
nitrate Solution 0.000143 0.195
Concentration 0.00250 3
potassium thiocyanate Table 2.3
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
Color of potassium colorless Molar 1363
thiocyanate absorptivity
Volume iron (III) 10.00 (𝑀−1 𝑐𝑚−1 )
nitrate (mL)
Volume potassium 2.00
thiocyanate (mL)
Volume DI water (mL) 8.00
 Graph 2 Color of iron (III) yellow
nitrate
Concentration 0.00300
Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti potassium thiocyanate
on 1 on 2 on 3 on 4 on 5
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
Concentr 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.003
ation 50 50 50 50 50 Color of potassium colorless
iron (III) thiocyanate
nitrate Volume iron (III) 10.00
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] nitrate (mL)
(M)
Volume potassium 2.00
Concentr 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.003
ation 50 50 50 50 50 thiocyanate (mL)
potassiu Volume DI water (mL) 8.00
m Concentration iron (III) 0.000300
thiocyan thiocyanate ion in stock
ate
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
solution [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
(M) (M)
Volume 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 Color of stock solution red-
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] orange
Volume 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 Table 3.1
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
Volume 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00
DI water Solution Solution Solution
(mL) 1 2 3
Initial 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 Volume 4.00 4.00 4.00
concentr 75 75 75 75 75 stock
ation
solution
[𝐹𝑒 3+ ]
(M) (mL)
Initial 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.000 Volume DI 1.00 2.00 3.00
concentr 75 40 05 700 350 water (mL)
ation Concentratio 0.00024 0.00020 0.00017
[𝑆𝐶𝑁 − ]
n iron (III) 0 0 1
(M)
Absorban 0.616 0.485 0.391 0.257 0.139 thiocyanate
ce ion
Equilibri 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
um 452 356 287 287 102 (M)
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
Table 3.2
(M)
Equilibri 270 245 260 237 250
um Solution Concentration Absorbance
constant iron (III)
𝐾𝑐 thiocyanate ion
Table 2.4 [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
(M)
Average 𝐾𝑐 252 Stock 0.000300 0.381
Solution 0.000240 0.305
1
Concentration iron (III) 0.40000 Solution 0.000200 0.254
nitrate [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] (M) 2
Solution 0.000171 0.217 Equilibri 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
3 um 617 462 373 291 130
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
Table 3.3 (M)
Equilibri 323 264 277 335 257
Molar 1270 um
absorptivity constant
(𝑀−1 𝑐𝑚−1 ) 𝐾𝑐
Table 3.4

Average 𝐾𝑐 291

Concentration iron (III) 0.20000

nitrate [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] (M)
Color of iron (III) yellow
Graph 3 nitrate
Concentration 0.00200
potassium thiocyanate
Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti
on 1 on 2 on 3 on 4 on 5
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
Concentr 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 Color of potassium colorless
ation 00 00 00 00 00 thiocyanate
iron (III) Volume iron (III) 10.00
nitrate nitrate (mL)
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
(M) Volume potassium 2.00
Concentr 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 thiocyanate (mL)
ation 00 00 00 00 00 Volume DI water (mL) 8.00
potassiu Concentration iron (III) 0.000200
m
thiocyanate ion in stock
thiocyan
ate solution [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
(M) Color of stock solution red-
Volume 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 orange
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
Table 4.1
Volume 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
Volume 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 Solution Solution Solution
DI water 1 2 3
(mL) Volume 4.00 4.00 4.00
Initial 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 stock
concentr 00 00 00 00 00
ation solution
[𝐹𝑒 3+ ] (mL)
(M) Volume DI 1.00 2.00 3.00
Initial 0.002 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.000 water (mL)
concentr 00 60 20 800 400
Concentratio 0.00016 0.00013 0.00011
ation
[𝑆𝐶𝑁 − ] n iron (III) 0 3 4
(M) thiocyanate
Absorban 0.784 0.587 0.474 0.369 0.165 ion
ce
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ] Volume 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00
(M) [𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
Volume 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00
Table 4.2 DI water
(mL)
Solution Concentration Absorbance Initial 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
iron (III) concentr 00 00 00 00 00
thiocyanate ion ation
[𝐹𝑒 3+ ]
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ] (M)
(M) Initial 0.001 0.008 0.006 0.000 0.000
Stock 0.000200 0.272 concentr 00 00 00 400 200
Solution 0.000160 0.217 ation
1 [𝑆𝐶𝑁 − ]
(M)
Solution 0.000133 0.181 Absorban 0.269 0.192 0.154 0.104 0.052
2 ce
Solution 0.000114 0.155 Equilibri 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
3 um 198 141 113 765 038
Table 4.3 [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
(M)
Equilibri 308 249 262 256 244
Molar 1359 um
absorptivity constant
(𝑀−1 𝑐𝑚−1 ) 𝐾𝑐
Table 4.4

Average 𝐾𝑐 264

Concentration iron (III) 0.20000

nitrate [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] (M)
Color of iron (III) yellow
nitrate
Graph 4 Concentration 0.00200
potassium thiocyanate
Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
on 1 on 2 on 3 on 4 on 5
Concentr 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 Color of potassium colorless
ation 00 00 00 00 00 thiocyanate
iron (III) Volume iron (III) 10.00
nitrate nitrate (mL)
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
Volume potassium 2.00
(M)
Concentr 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 thiocyanate (mL)
ation 00 00 00 00 00 Volume DI water (mL) 8.00
potassiu Concentration iron (III) 0.000200
m thiocyanate ion in stock
thiocyan
ate
solution [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁] (M)
(M) Color of stock solution red-
Volume 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 orange
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ] Table 5.1
 iron (III)
Solution Solution Solution nitrate
[𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
1 2 3 (M)
Volume 4.00 4.00 4.00 Concentr 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002
stock ation 00 00 00 00 00
solution potassiu
(mL) m
thiocyan
Volume DI 1.00 2.00 3.00 ate
water (mL) [𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
Concentratio 0.00016 0.00013 0.00011 (M)
n iron (III) 0 3 4 Volume 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
thiocyanate [𝐹𝑒(𝑁𝑂3 )3 ]
Volume 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00
ion
[𝐾𝑆𝐶𝑁]
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ] Volume 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00
(M) DI water
Table 5.2 (mL)
Initial 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
concentr 00 00 00 00 00
Solution Concentration Absorbance ation
iron (III) [𝐹𝑒 3+ ]
thiocyanate ion (M)
[𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ] Initial 0.001 0.008 0.006 0.000 0.000
(M) concentr 00 00 00 400 200
ation
Stock 0.000200 0.253 [𝑆𝐶𝑁 − ]
Solution 0.000160 0.203 (M)
1 Absorban 0.269 0.192 0.154 0.104 0.052
Solution 0.000133 0.169 ce
2 Equilibri 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
um 212 152 122 821 041
Solution 0.000114 0.144 [𝐹𝑒𝑆𝐶𝑁 2+ ]
3 (M)
Table 5.3 Equilibri 341 277 291 281 269
um
Molar 1267 constant
𝐾𝑐
absorptivity
Table 5.4
(𝑀−1 𝑐𝑚−1 )
Average 𝐾𝑐 292

II. DISCUSSION

The experiment utilized

spectrophotometry in getting the equilibrium
constant. “The equilibrium constant, 𝐾𝑐 , is used
Graph 5 to quantify the equilibrium state. The expression
for the equilibrium constant for a reaction is
Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti Soluti
on 1 on 2 on 3 on 4 on 5 determined by examining the balanced chemical
Concentr 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 equation.” (LibreTexts, 2021). It is expressed by
ation 00 00 00 00 00 the equations;
 𝑎𝐴(𝑎𝑞) + 𝑏𝐵(𝑎𝑞) ⇌ 𝑐𝐶(𝑎𝑞) + 𝑑𝐷(𝑎𝑞)
[Equation 8]
[𝐶 𝑐 ][𝐷 𝑑 ]
𝐾𝑐 = [𝐴𝑎 ][𝐵𝑏] [Equation 1]
The reaction that forms the iron (III)
thiocyanate ion will be studied. The reaction
reaches equilibrium quickly, which is why the
mixture can be seen turning reddish-orange at a
fast rate. “The intensity of the color of the
mixtures is proportional to the concentration of
product formed at equilibrium.” (LibreTexts,
2021) Due to the intense color of the mixture,
Beer’s Law can be used in determining its
concentration. “The absorbance, A, is directly
proportional to two parameters: c (the
compound's molar concentration) and path
length, l (the length of the sample through which
the light travels). Molar absorptivity ε, is a
constant that expresses the absorbing ability of a
chemical species at a certain wavelength. The
absorbance, A, is roughly correlated with the
color intensity observed visually; the more
intense the color, the larger the absorbance.”
(LibreTexts, 2021). Beer’s Law is given by the
equation;
𝐴 = 𝜀ℓ𝑐 [Equation 2]
This equation is used in plotting the
graphs which further instigate the direct
relationship of the absorbance and concentration.
The molar absorptivity was acquired from the
graph by placing each cuvette with varying
dilutions in the spectrophotometer, and
determining the absorbance of each dilution by
calibrating the instrument and setting the
wavelength to 447 nm. It was set 447 nm because
the iron (III) thiocyanate ion absorbs light the
most at 447 nm and this wavelength has the
highest sensitivity to iron (III) thiocyanate ion.
The results show that the average
equilibrium constant for all members were 291,
252, 291, 264, and 292 respectively. It is noticed
that one of the average constants were slightly
different in value while the other two have a
bigger difference. This is questionable since the
equilibrium constant is not changeable.
“Equilibrium constants are not changed if you
change the concentrations of things present in the
equilibrium. The only thing that changes an
equilibrium constant is a change of temperature.
The position of equilibrium is changed if you
change the concentration of something present in
the mixture.” (Clark, 2020) Le Chatelier’s
Principle states that the equilibrium will act in a
way to reverse a change. Considering that there
are varying values of the average 𝐾𝐶 and that
equilibrium constants are only affected by
temperature, it’s possible those that differ from
the value of 291 have different temperature. The
temperature of the mixtures was not recorded in
the lab. “The position of equilibrium also
changes if you change the temperature.
According to Le Chatelier's Principle, the
position of equilibrium moves in such a way as
to tend to undo the change that you have made.
If you increase the temperature, the position of
equilibrium will move in such a way as to reduce
the temperature again. It will do that by favoring
the reaction which absorbs heat.” (Clark, 2020)
Using this logic, the values lower than 291 must
have a higher temperature and those higher than
291 have lower temperature so as to undo the
change.
Conclusion
The objective of the experiment is to
calculate the equilibrium constants of solutions
that form red-orange iron (III) thiocyanate
complex ions with the use of spectrophotometry.
The experiment utilizes spectrophotometry with
the Beer-Lambert’s Law in determining the
equilibrium constant of various concentrations of
the products in which the absorbance of each
product and the calibration curve measured from
the spectrophotometer, using the Beer-Lambert’s
Law, the concentration of each product is solved
given that the path length of the cuvette is 1 cm,
leading in to determining each of the equilibrium
constant.
The findings show that the equilibrium
constant for each member was inconsistent, with
values of 291, 291, 292, 252, and 264. This can
be confusing since the equilibrium constant does
not change. This is the case until the temperature
of the mixtures was taken into
consideration. The temperature of each mixture
was not taken; thus, this can be a factor in the
increasing or decreasing value of the constant.
With this, the experiment was a success. The
objective in determining the equilibrium
constant of each solution was achieved. The
hypothesis, that all equilibrium constants would
be the same, was proved to be true under the
condition that the temperature of the mixtures
would not be altered.
References
Clark, J. (2020). The effects of changing
conditions. LibreTexts.
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/
Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_T
extbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_
(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/
Equilibria/Le_Chateliers_Principle/The_
Effect_of_Changing_Conditions#:~:text
=Changing%20temperature,-
Equilibrium%20constants%20are&text=
Increasing%20the%20temperature%20d
ecreases%20the,if%20you%20change%
20the%20temperature.
Khan Academy. (n.d.). Le Chatelier's principle.
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/a
p-chemistry/chemical-equilibrium-
ap/factors-that-affect-chemical-
equilibrium-ap/v/le-chatelier-s-
principle#:~:text=Le%20Chatelier's%20
principle%20(also%20known,restore%2
0a%20new%20equilibrium%20state
LibreTexts. (2020). Determination of an
equilibrium constant.
https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Saint
_Marys_College_Notre_Dame_IN/Che
m_122L%3A_Principles_of_Chemistry_
II_Laboratory_(Under_Construction__)/
02%3A_Determination_of_an_Equilibri
um_Constant
LibreTexts. (2020). Principles of chemical
equilibrium.
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/
Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_T
extbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_
(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/
Equilibria/Chemical_Equilibria/Principl
es_of_Chemical_Equilibria/Principles_o
f_Chemical_Equilibrium
LibreTexts. (2020). The equilibrium constant.
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/
Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_T
extbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_
(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/
Equilibria/Chemical_Equilibria/The_Eq
uilibrium_Constant
LibreTexts. (2020). Spectrophotometry.
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/
Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_T
extbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_
(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/
Kinetics/02%3A_Reaction_Rates/2.01%
3A_Experimental_Determination_of_Ki
netics/2.1.05%3A_Spectrophotometry#:
~:text=Spectrophotometry%20is%20a%
20method%20to,a%20certain%20range
%20of%20wavelength
Rafferty, J. (2019). Beer's law. Encyclopedia
Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/Bee
rs-law
POINT SYSTEM:
ABSTRACT---------------------------------20
INTRODUCTION--------------------------10
MATERIALS AND METHODS---------10
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION----------30
CONCLUSION-----------------------------20
REFERENCES------------------------------10

TOTAL: 100