Introducing Atomic Absorption into a General Chemistry Ksp Lab

Indianapolis, IN

Important lessons taught in general chemistry include basic lab procedures and introduction to higher level equipment. This experiment aims design a lab that combines a common topic taught in first year chemistry, Ksp, and the atomic absorption machine, frequently used in analytical chemistry. Because of their high solubilities, calcium or barium hydroxides can be used, and solution concentrations are measured by both acid/base titration and atomic absorption. These two techniques can be compared to assess accuracy and laboratory procedures.