Colorimetry & Complex Ions (AQA A Level Chemistry)

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Stewart Hird

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Colorimetry & Complex Ions

Colorimetry & Complex Ions

  • Colorimetry can be used to measure the absorption of radiation using a colorimeter

  • This uses a lamp as a source of white light, which passes through a filter to produce light of one colour

    • This colour will be the one that the sample will absorb the most and is called its complementary colour

  • For example hexaaquacopper(II) solution is a pale blue colour which absorbs red light

  • It's complementary colour is blue which is what is transmitted

A simple diagram representing the component parts involved in colorimetry

Worked Example

Outline a practical method for the preparation of an unknown concentration of metal aqua ion solution by colorimetry.

Answer:

  • Make up metal aqua ion solutions of known concentrations

  • Measure absorption or transmission

  • Plot a calibration curve (absorbance vs concentration)

  • Measure absorption of unknown

  • Determine concentration of unknown

 

Visible Spectroscopy Calibration Curve, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

Calibration curve from colorimetry results, showing the absorbance of an unknown being used to determine the concentration

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Stewart Hird

Author: Stewart Hird

Expertise: Chemistry Lead

Stewart has been an enthusiastic GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB teacher for more than 30 years in the UK as well as overseas, and has also been an examiner for IB and A Level. As a long-standing Head of Science, Stewart brings a wealth of experience to creating Topic Questions and revision materials for Save My Exams. Stewart specialises in Chemistry, but has also taught Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies.