In Liebig's combustion method for estimating Carbon and Hydrogen, the evolved gases are passed throu — Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis Chemistry Question
Question
In Liebig's combustion method for estimating Carbon and Hydrogen, the evolved gases are passed through a U-tube containing anhydrous $CaCl_2$ followed by a U-tube containing concentrated KOH. What is the quantitative effect on the analysis if these two U-tubes are inadvertently connected in the reverse order?
Answer: A
💡 Solution & Explanation
Concentrated KOH is a powerful desiccant and alkali; it will absorb BOTH the $H_2O$ vapor and the $CO_2$ gas. If placed first, its mass increase will represent both products, artificially inflating the %C calculation. The subsequent $CaCl_2$ tube will gain virtually no mass, rendering the %H calculation near zero.
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