There are several methods for determining the percentage of chromium in an alloy, but one of the most common methods is called the spectrophotometric method. This method involves dissolving a sample of the alloy in an appropriate acid to release the chromium ions. The solution is then analyzed using a spectrophotometer, which measures the intensity of light absorbed by the chromium ions at a specific wavelength.
Here are the general steps of the process:
Prepare a sample of the alloy by grinding or pulverizing it to a fine powder.
Dissolve the sample in an appropriate acid, such as nitric acid or hydrochloric acid, to release the chromium ions. The solution should be heated if necessary to facilitate complete dissolution of the sample.
After the solution has cooled, it is filtered, then transferred to a clean, dry container.
The solution is then diluted with water to a known volume.
Then, using a spectrophotometer set at a specific wavelength (about 385 nanometers for Chromium VI) and after a blank test for the solvent, determine the absorbance of the solution.
Using the Beer-Lambert Law (A = εbc) to calculate the concentration of chromium ions in the solution, where A is the absorbance, ε is the molar absorptivity (a constant for a given solution), b is the pathlength (usually 1 cm) and c is the concentration of the absorbing species.
The mass percent of chromium in the alloy is then calculated by multiplying the chromium ion concentration by the formula weight of chromium and dividing by the weight of the original alloy sample.
It's worth to note that this method specifically determine Chromium VI and not Chromium III. For measuring Chromium III one will need another method such as AAS or ICP-OES.
Comments
Post a Comment