EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

Reagents Materials
Samples Atomic absorption spectrometer
100ppm nickel solution Nickel hollow cathode lamp
1:1 (nitric acid:water) solution Beaker
Distilled water Volumetric flask
Weighing boats
25ml graduated pipette
Labels
0.45m membrane filter system

Two samples containing nickel, were weighed out separately to an estimated 0.2g each, before
being transferred into their individual beakers and each digested by dissolving in 10ml of 1:1
(nitric acid:water), covered with a watch glass and warmed until the majority of the sample has
dissolved. The solutions were filtered using a 0.45m membrane filter before being
quantitatively transferred into 250.0ml volumetric flask and filled to the mark with distilled
water. 50ml of the master solution was further diluted by pipetted 50ml into a 100.0ml
volumetric flask and filled to the mark with distilled water for each sample. The stock solution
was then labelled S1 and S2. The stock standard solution was prepared from a 100ppm master
solution, by pipetting 1ml of the master solution into a 100.0ml volumetric flask and filling to
the mark with distilled water to make a 10ppm solution. From the stock solution concentrations
of (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5) ppm were made into 100.0ml volumetric flask by utilizing a graduated
25ml pipette. The instrument was zeroed using distilled water, prior to taking absorbances of
the standards and the two samples. Absorbance reading for the samples was set to be taken in
triplicates for statistical purposes.
RESULTS ANALYSIS

Absorbance of nickel at different standard concentrations

0.025

y = 0.0085x
R = 0.9913
0.02

0.015
Absorbance

0.01

0.005

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Concentration/ppm

Figure 1: determination of sample concentration from calibration curve

Calculation for sample concentration
Mean absorbance for sample 1=0.0020
Absorbance=slope * concentration
Concentration=0.0020/0.0085
= 0.2392mg/ml
Mean absorbance for sample 2=0.0021
Concentration=0.0021/0.0085
=0.2470mg/ml
Table 3: Calculation for actual nickel concentration in samples by calibration curve
0.2392 0.2470
= 10 = 2.39 = 10 = 2.47

0.00239 0.00247
100 = 0.2032 100 =
0.2022
1.22% 2
= 1.18% 1