University of Santo Tomas

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
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Experiment 1(Part 2): Use of Micropipettor and Analytical Balance

Group6: ILAGAN, Ivylyn; GARCIA, Pamela; JAEN, Carmella Gloria; LIM, Leslie Cathleen T.

Keywords: Summary:
Accuracy, Analytical The micropipettor is a device used for measuring volumes as small
Balance, Micropipettor, as 1 . The accuracy and precision of the operators regarding the
Percent error, Precision, usage of this device can be determined by weighing measured
Standard deviation volumes on the analytical balance. Accuracy and precision can be
best measured using percent error and standard deviation
respectively. The closer the obtained value to the standard value,
the more accurate the operator. High levels of precision produce a
. smaller value for standard deviation, resulting to a more precise
operator. As the volume to be measured increases, percent error
increases as well, for the larger the calibration of the device, the
more prone the operator is to error.

Introduction bubble on the level indicator must be within

One of the main devices used in this
experiment was the analytical balance. An
analytical balance is a measuring device
with a basic function or principle to simply
determine the weight of a material. The unit
it measures is usually in grams (g) or
milligrams (mg) depending on the settings.
The parts of an analytical balance
include a level indicator with an air bubble
positioned at its center for proper alignment,
a balance pan where objects to be weighed
are placed, a tare button that recalibrates the
device to 0.0000g, a display screen that
reads the measurement, a power button that
turns the device on, and a door handle that
open and close the glass doors.
Before using the analytical balance,
it is important to make sure that the
weighing pan is clean, and that the doors of
the analytical balance are closed. The level
indicator should be checked wherein the
the inscribed circle. The read out should
show 0.0000g if the weighing pan is empty.
If not, the tare button must be pressed to
recalibrate the balance. Lastly, the object to
be weighed must be in a container.
The accuracy of the digital balance
does not depend on the number of decimal
places it could read. Accuracy is inherent in
a balance based on its manufacturer, internal
mechanism, model, design, and procedures
followed. For higher accuracy, the surface of
the object to be weighed must not be touch
by ones bare hands. Furthermore, the
balance works well with a relatively
constant temperature.
The other device used in this
experiment was the micropipettor. A
micropipettor is a precision pump with a
disposable tip that measures as little as 1
microliter () sample solution. A small
volume micropipettor (colored red)
measures 0.5-10 ; a midrange
micropipettor (colored yellow) measures 10-
100 ; and a large volume micropipettor
(colored blue) measures 100-1000 of
sample solution.
Two topics tested in this experiment
was the accuracy and precision of the
measuring device. Accuracy is the closeness
of a measured value to its true value. in the
experiment, only (1) member tested for
accuracy. On the other hand, precision is the
closeness of measured values to one another.
In the experiment, each member of the
group tested for precision.
There were three objectives in this
experiment. First, the parts of the analytical
balance were identified; second, the
analytical balance was used accurately and
precisely; and third the standard deviation
(SD), coefficient of variation (CV), standard
error of the mean (SE), and percent error
(%E) were determined.
Materials and Methods
The materials used in this experiment were
the three kinds of micropipettors (colored
red, yellow, and blue), mircopipettor tips,
analytical balance, distilled water, and
aluminum foil.
The first part of the experiment
involved testing the accuracy of the
operators. Only one member of the group
performed this task. First, the analytical
balance was turned on. After which, a piece
of aluminum foil container was placed on
the weighing balance. The tare button was
pressed to recalibrate the balance to
0.0000g. 50 of distilled water was placed
in the aluminum foil container, and the
measured weight was recorded in the lab
manual. The tare button was pressed again
before the same procedures were repeated
five times using 100 and 500 distilled
water by the same student. The average
weight and standard deviation was
computed.
For the second part of the
experiment, the precision of the operators
was tested. The same procedures from the
first part of the experiment was done.
However, each member of the group
performed this task. Each member placed 50
of distilled water in the aluminum foil
container. After which, the average weight,
percent error, and standard deviation was
computed.
Below were the formulas used in the
experiment:
=
Equation 1.1. Average
=
Equation 1.2. Coefficient of Variation
! 2
=
( 1)
Equation 1.3. Standard Deviation
=
Equation 1.4. Standard Error of Mean
% = l l100
Equation 1.5. Percent Error
where N is the number of trials, CV
is the coefficient of variation, SD is the
standard deviation, SE is the standard error
of the mean, and %E is the percent error.
Results and Discussion
The values obtained from the experiment
were inserted in the formulas listed
above (see Materials and Methods).
However, to obtain percent error,
standard value must be obtained as well.
To determine the standard value of the
distilled water at a specific room
temperature as is the case for this
experiment, the standard density (g/mL)
of the sample (water) in room
temperature must be known. Then, this
will be converted to (g/L) since
measurements in class was done in L.
The grams (g) of the sample will be
obtained by multiplying the standard
density of water in L with the volume
of water placed in the aluminum foil.
The computed values for the standard
values are 0.0499g for the 50L volume,
0.0977g for the 100L, and 0.4986g
500L volume. Finally, the percent error
can be determined with the given
formula above (see Materials and
Methods).
Table 1.1. (See Appendix) shows
the weight of different water samples by
1 member of the group. By comparing
the average weight [Equation 1.1] from
the standard values computed earlier,
one can determine the accuracy of the
operator. The closer the obtained value
to the standard value, the more accurate
the operator. A more quantitative
measure of accuracy is depicted by
percent error, which will be elaborated in
the proceeding discussion in Table 1.3.
Table 1.2. (See Appendix) shows
the weight of different water samples by
the members of the group. This table
allows a measure of precision within
members of the group. This is indicated
by the closeness of values and can
quantified via standard deviation
[Equation 1.3.] values. Highly close
values, such as those seen in the 100L
volume, indicate a high level of
precision, and thus will produce a
smaller value for standard deviation. The
smaller the value for standard deviation
the more precise the operator.
Table 1.3. (See appendix) shows
the compiled results for all of the
groups. This table especially depicts the
percent error [Equation 1.5.] for each of
the groups, a value that may be used to
determine accuracy. The smaller the
percent error, the more accurate the
operator. For each of the respective
volumes 50L, 100L, and 500L,
Groups 2, 9, and 10 obtained the
smallest percent error, and thus are the
most accurate among the class.
However, the correct trend of percent
error is seen in the results of Group 4.
This displays an increase in percent error
as volume to be measured increases.
This is because the larger the calibration
of the device, the more prone the
operator is to error.
Possible sources of error for this
experiment include incorrect setting for
the readout of the micropipettor,
presence of bubbles at the end of the tip
when pipetting, when the plunger is not
depressed properly to the first and
second stop, when the level indicator in
the analytical balance is not in the
middle, when the analytical balance is
not in a stable room temperature, and
when the wrong values are inputted in
the given formulas.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the analytical balance is a
measuring device that determines the
weight of an object in grams (g), or
milligrams (mg) depending on the
chosen settings. Accuracy is how close a
value is to the true value, and precision
is how close values are with each other.
Determination of SD, CD, SE, and %E
includes using the formulas stated in
Materials and Methods. As seen in the
experiment, the closer the obtained value
to the standard value, the more accurate
the operator. High levels of precision
produce a smaller value for standard
deviation. The smaller the value for
standard deviation the more precise the
operator. As the volume to be measured
increases, percent error increases as well.
This is because the larger the calibration
of the device, the more prone the
operator is to error.
https://www.sartorius.com/sartori
us/en/EU/products/laboratory/lab
oratorybalances/analytical-
balances.
Sigma Aldrich (2017). Uses of the
Micropipettor Retrieved October
3,
2017fromhttp://www.sigmaaldric
h.com/catalog/product/aldrich/z1
14820?lang=en&region=P

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the

University of Santo Tomas College of
Science for providing the equipment
needed for the experiment, to Professor
Abrantes and Professor Lumanlan for
giving a detailed prelab and postlab
explanation, and to all the parents who
gave their daughters a chance for
experiencing a great education.

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Retrieved October 3, 2017 from