Paul Sutton

CitricAcid

Home Chemistry 11 – Making a Citric Acid solution

Further to the previous post on making molar solutions I am going to make up a 250ml solution of Citric acid.

So based on my previous calculations

1 Molar solution is formula weight in 1 litre of Water

Molar Weight of Citric acid 192.19 Amount of Water = 250ml (0.250 l)

Therefore

192.19 / 4 = 48.03g

I can weigh this out easy enough now that I have got some small scales (which are actually used for weighing jewellery) but are really good as they measure to 2 decimal places. Granted max is about 200g, but for what I am doing in chemistry this doesn't matter too much.

make citric acid 1

The first task is to weigh out the required amount of Powder.

make citric acid 2

Given I wanted 48.03g, I think for the purpose of home chemistry this is fine.

make citric acid 3

For the next step I mixed the powder with about 200ml water, stirred well then poured (via funnel) in to a conical flask and topped up to about 250ml (note the flask is approximate.) I may be just over. in a proper laboratory, I would have access to a volumetric flask, which is more accurate. I am making do with what I have.

I would probably have access to some help with this too.

make citric acid 4

Finally, the solution is poured (via funnel) in to a suitable bottle, that I have already put a label etc on.

This is now stored safely before being taken down to the Library.

We can then use this for various experiments such as adding to alkalis, using indicator (paper or liquid) or whatever else we decide to do).

There is a really nice calculation tool which you can use to help or at least double check calculations.

#HomeChemistry11,#Chemistry,#Science,#HomeChemistry,#CitricAcid,#Solution,#Molar,#Concentration


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Home Chemistry 6 – Reactions of metals with Citric Acid

So while I wait for delivery of some more indicator paper. I am going to take a look at how Magnesium reacts with Citric Acid.

Firstly as indicated in a Previous post it is important to ensure the Magnesium metal is clean and free of tarnish. This will aid the reaction by exposing a greater surface area of the metal.

I will be using the same equipment as before,

As well as Citric Acid, which is shown here along side Bicarbonate of soda.

citric

I decided to use a conical flash instead of a test tube and this makde it a little easier to observe the reaction.

I added some Citric Acid powder to the flask, added about 50ml water to dissolve the acid then added one piece of Magnesium ribbon, approx 1” long to the solution.

Took a few mins to get going, once the remaining tarnish had gone, the reaction speeded up.

Video

Link

Tags

#Chemistry,#HomeChemistry,#Magnesium,#CitricAcid


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Home Chemistry 3 – Molar Solutions

Last year, I had a go at preparing a known concentration 1M of Sodium Chloride (Salt). Using the instructions at Quora.

In order to some chemicals for future use. I will use the same instructions to create a known concentration of Citric Acid, given I want to test the reactivity between this and various metals, in a similar way to my previous experiment in Home Chemistry 1

Calculations

  1. Decide how much solution is needed – 250ml
  2. Determine Molar mass of Citric Acid
    • According to PubChem this is 192.12g
  3. Work out how much solid powder is needed
    • Given 1 Mol is the molecular weight in 1 litire of water
  4. We are producing 250ml – so need to weigh out ¼ of the molar mass
    • 192.12 / 4 = 48.03g
  5. So based on the instructions I found for NaCl
  6. We need to dissolve 48.03g in 250ml of Water to produce 250ml 1 molar concentration of Citric Acid

Safety

  1. Refer to data sheet – We know that Citric Acid is a Irritant, therefore it would be prudent to stick the CORRECT label on the bottle storing the solution.
  2. Correctly label the bottle
  3. Wear goggles when preparing the solution
  4. Wear gloves and Lab Coat
  5. Clean Surfaces
  6. Wash hands when finished

Equipment

  • Scales or Balance
  • Volumetric Flask *1
  • Stirrer
  • Spatula
  • Paper to write notes
  • Paper to put on scales for powder
  • Funnel
  • Label saying 250ml 1 mol Citric Acid
  • Label giving formula and Molar weight
  • Irritant label

Equipment Replacement

*1 As I don't have a volumetric Flask, I can use a 250 or 500ml Conical Flask

Considerations

My weighing scales are only basic and do not measure to 2 decimal places, there for we can weigh out 48g. As this is for home chemistry, while accuracy is important, we can probably make minor compromises.

Chemicals

  • Water
  • Citric Acid Powder

Method

Read fully first

  1. Prepare equipment
  2. Measure out 250ml Water
  3. Fold paper in ½
  4. Unfold paper
  5. Put paper on scales
  6. Ensure Scales are ZERO
  7. Weigh out required amount of Citric Acid Powder
  8. Pour powder in to flask and stir or move flask around in a circular motion*
  9. Pour solution in to suitable container
  10. Stick on labels
  11. Wash up and dry equipment
  12. Wipe down surfaces etc
  13. Wash hands
  14. Store solution safely

Note the fold in the paper,just makes this easier.

  • You may need to pour small amounts in to the flash, and dissolve before adding more

Further reading and advice

There will be a related thread on Science Forums for this, as I want to double check everything is correct.

Tags

#Home,#Chemistry,#HomeChemistry3,#Molar,#Solution,#CitricAcid


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