IB CHEMISTRY:
TOPIC 11 - MEASUREMENT AND DATA
PROCESSING NOTES
11.1 Uncertainties and errors
Quantitative and Qualitative Data
• Quantitative data is data taken from measurements made in the laboratory and is
associated with random errors
• Qualitative data includes non-numerical data obtained from observations, not from
measurements
• A results table should include quantitative data with units and uncertainties
• Quantitative data should be recorded to the appropriate precision
• Qualitative data should also be recorded
Absolute and Percentage uncertainties
• The absolute uncertainty of digital apparatus is ± the smallest scale division
• Absolute uncertainty of mass balance is ±0.01g
• Absolute uncertainty of analog apparatus is ± half the smallest scale division
o Absolute uncertainty of measuring cylinder is ±0.5cm3
• Absolute uncertainty of burette is ±0.05cm3
Random Errors
• Random errors are caused by unpredictable changes in the experiment (in the
conditions or apparatus)
• With random errors, there is an equal probability of the measured value being too high or
too low
• Examples of random error:
o Changes in the environment during the experiment (such as a change in the
room temperature)
o Observer misinterpreting the reading
, o Insufficient data (not conducting repeat trials)
• Random errors cannot be eliminated but can be reduced by conducting repeat
trials
• They can also be reduced by using precise apparatus (such as a volumetric pipette
rather than a beaker to measure volume)
Systematic Errors
• Systematic errors occur as a result of a flaw in the experimental design of apparatus
• Systematic errors cause the measured value to be consistently higher or lower than the
actual value
• They cannot be reduced by conducting repeat trials
• Examples of systematic error:
o Heat loss in an experiment to measure enthal py change
o Losing a product (such as a gas) in a reaction
o Overshooting the endpoint in a titration
o Reading from the top of the meniscus when measuring volume
o Forgetting to zero a mass balance
Percentage error
• Percentage error is a measure of how close the experimental value is to the theoretical or
accepted value
If the experimental value is less than the theoretical value, the percentage error will be negative
11.3 Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds
Index of Hydrogen Deficiency (IHD)
• The index of hydrogen deficiency (IHD) is a count of how many molecules of H2 need to
be added to convert the molecule to the corresponding, saturated, non-cyclic molecule.
In other words a degree of unsaturation
• The IHD for a hydrocarbon with 𝐶 carbon atoms, 𝐻 hydrogen atoms, N nitrogen atoms
and X halogen atoms:
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