Determination of molar weight of easy volatile matter using

Victor Meyer method

The molar weight M is dened as a ratio of mass weight m and relating moles n
M =
m
n
.
The basic unit of M is kgmol
1
.
The Victor Meyer method is an interesting application of the Avogadros law. This law proclaims
equality of volumes of gases (if an ideal behavior in vapor phase is supposed) if the temperature and
the pressure are kept the same for both vapor substances. The known amount of liquid evaporates to
vapour phase which expanses into measured volume. According to Avogadros law it can be deduced
that moles n of both air and sample are the same. And then the molar weight M of the unknown
sample can be calculated from the equation of state of ideal gas
pV = nRT =
m
M
RT . (1)
The air volume V (m
3
), the air pressure p (Pa) and the air thermodynamic temperature T (K)
are measured. This amount of air is pressured by vaporized sample of known mass weight m
(kg). It was weighed before its vaporization. R denotes the universal gas constant in eqn. (1),
R = 8.3143 (0.0012) Jmol
1
K
1
. To isolate M in eqn. (1), it is obtained
M =
mRT
pV
. (2)
The Victor Meyer method is fast and exact but it is not acceptable to determine a degree of disso-
ciation or association.
Experimental apparatus
The basic section of your experimental apparatus is created by an evaporative bulb which is in-
serted to an electric laboratory furnace (see g. 4.1 in ref. [1]). The bulb bottom is covered by
glass bullets
1
. The bulb is connected by a tube with a magnet system (see right detail of g. 4.1 in
ref. [1]) which helps a liquid sample to let down to the bulb. The sample is sealed in a small glass
tube. When the sealed sample touches the bulb bottom it is getting warmer and warmer and glass
is cracking. The vaporized sample ejects air which was rst in the connecting tube. There are some
dierences between room pressure and apparatus pressure which are equalized by equalizing vessel
2
.
The temperature of ejected air is obtained by a thermometer placed in a thermostat shell of a gas
buret. The furnace must be on from 1 to 2 hours before starting your own work.
While warming up the furnace, clean an evaporative bulb very precisely (any water more!) and
dry up it and glass bullets, too. Then cover the bottom of the dried bulb using dried bullets till
the height of them will be 2 cm. Insert the bulb into the furnace having the dierence between its
bottom and furnace bottom approx. 15 cm because this is the warmest region in the furnace.
Then add the gas buret and the magnet system and test if the apparatus is really closed according
to your lecturers commands.
1
bullet = a very small sphere
2
equalizing vessel = a titration vessel which is bottom up localizedsee g. 4.1 in ref. [1]
1
Measurement preparation
The samples of unknown matter are sealed into small tubes (capillaries). These capillaries are pre-
pared using the Bunsen burner and using some pre-prepared glass tubes from central laboratory
preparing room. Seeing g. 4.2 in ref. [1], you can imagine your work with pre-prepared glass tube.
There should be prepared some capillaries about 1520 mm long. How could be capillaries prepared?
For more information, follow your lecturers commands.
Next to previous step will be to ll in prepared capillaries using toluene (as a known liquid) and
sample (as a unknown liquid). You must be wearing glasses or eye shield during this oper-
ation! First you must weigh a capillary then ll in it and dry it and last (but not least) you must
seal it at the opposite end and weigh it again. Use please the same weigh equipment during the
whole your work.
How could be a capillary lled in? Taking up the capillary with a pincers, you put it above a small
luminous ame for a moment and then you plunge it fast into toluene/sample. While a small amount
of liquid is sucking in a tube you are waiting. Shake with the tube to concentrate toluene/sample
at the bottom of the tube. Put the tube above a ame again to eject air from it. At this moment,
plunge the tube fast into toluene/sample again. The tube will be lled in it. If an air bubble remains
in the tube, you must repeat the tube lling once more.
Measurement
Insert a glass tube with toluene/sample into a magnet system at the top of the connecting
tube. Test if all parts of your apparatus are leakproof. Follow your lecturers commands.
Using a three-way stopcock, connect the buret with a tube including the magnet system.
Add the second (outside) magnet to the magnet system to unblock a toluene/sample tube which
will be starting to fall down to the evaporative bulb. The toluene/sample tube usually cracks
and water starts to decrease in the buret.
After the meniscus of water in the buret stabilizes, hand the menisci in the buret and in the
equalizing vessel in the same level. Connect the furnace with the atmosphere using the three-
way stopcock. At this moment, read the ejected volume at the buret, the temperature at the
thermometer and the atmospherical pressure at the information desk in the laboratory room
(also the pressure once an all day only).
Take the magnet system out of connecting tube and start to drain from furnace region the
rest of vaporized toluene/sample. During this operation which takes approx. 1015 minutes,
the evaporative bulb remains in the furnace. Then your apparatus is prepared to another
measurement.
Why do you work with a known liquid like toluene? To nd out if you measure well. You will
repeat the previous items as long as the results dier less 3 percents among themselves.
Data processing
All experimental data will be put into eqn. (2) in basic units including the universal gas constant
R. The results will be arranged as a table with following columns: the measurement serial number,
the toluene/sample mass weight m, the volume V read from the buret, the temperature T read from
the thermometer and the actual day value of atmospherical pressure p. The average value of the
unknown sample molar weight will be calculated with respect to one decimal position in gmol
1
like M = 101.6 gmol
1
.
2
Schema of work
1. Apparatus warming (evaporative bulb with glass bullets).
2. Vapor draining using a water vacuum pump.
3. Glass capillaries preparing and capillaries tubes weighing.
4. Glass capillaries lling in using toluene (56 capillaries).
5. Glass capillaries lling in using a sample (1015 capillaries).
6. The own measurement:
(a) apparatus enclosure, test if the apparatus is leakproof and balancing menisci levels,
(b) capillary falling,
(c) balancing menisci levels and the volume V , temperature T and pressure p reading,
(d) apparatus opening and vapor draining.
Accuracy and error sources
The accuracy of molar weight determination in this form is 1 percent. The error sources could be
as follows:
The capillaries do not crack:
They are thick-walled or not lled in the whole volume or not sealed well or the evaporative
bulb was not warmed totally.
The meniscus decreases slowly:
The top or the bottom of the capillary was broken only and a toluene/sample vapor diuse
through the broken place slowly; the results will be too high.
The meniscus increases slowly:
If the measurement takes much more time, some parts of vapor condense and the volume read
at the buret will be smaller. The measurement must be repeated.
The meniscus oscillates:
The evaporative bulb and the glass bullets are not dry as it is necessary.
The results are too low:
The temperature was increasing in the furnace during the measurement or toluene/sample was
contaminated by water or the evaporative bulb and the glass bullets were not dry as it was
necessary.
References
[1] J.

Sobr et al.: Navody pro laboratorn cvicen z fyzikaln chemie (in Czech only), Prague
Institute of Chemical Technology, 1997, 2002
3