Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Formal Report
Gravimetric Determination of Moisture and
Phosphorus in Fertilizer Samples
Date Performed: 28
August 2015 D.A. Mercado
Date Submitted: 22
September 2015 In a fertilizer sample, the two determinants of its purity is the amount of
Department of Mining, phosphorus and moisture content. Using the different processes of gravimetric
Metallurgical and determination, the purity of the fertilizer was determined. The moisture content was
Materials Engineering
College of Engineering calculated using the wet and dry weights of the sample, which were obtained using
the heating and cooling process, and was found to be 0.4312% 0.0001. The
Instructor: Searle phosphorus content on the other hand was obtained using the precipitation
Aichelle Duay
gravimetric process by allowing the sample to precipitate with MgSO47H2O and
NH3. With the use of the gravimetric factors, the %P was obtained at
11.99% 0.0002 for the wet and 12.04% 0.0002 for the dry basis. The % P 2O5
at a wet and dry basis were also found to be 27.47% 0.0005 and 27.59% 0.0005,
respectively. It is given that the amount of phosphorus in the form of P 2O5 is 20%
which gives a percent difference of 37.35% and 37.95% respectively for the wet and
dry basis.
References
Calculations
Mass of Water = Sample Weight Dried Weight r = (0.0002) 2 (0.0002) 2 = 0.0003
= 2.9916 2.9787 = 0.0129 g
2 2
0.0129
% Moisture = x100 0.4313% r = (0.004312) 0.0003 0.0002 0.0001
2.9916 0.0129 2.9916
Weight Dried Precipitate = 2.6056 0.9155 = 1.6901g r = (0.0002) 2 (0.0002) 2 = 0.0003
1.5901 30.97
0.0003
2
0.0002
2
Appendix II
Answers to Questions:
Gravimetric Determination of Moisture and Phosphorus in Fertilizer Samples Mercado, 2015 | 5
1. Discuss the principles of operation of mechanical and electronic balance.
A mechanical balance is used by placing an object with an unknown mass on one end and an object with a known
mass on the other. The lever opposes the torque exerted by the mass of the unknown object as the object of the
known mass is moved. Once the lever is balanced, the distances of the two objects can be used to determine the
force of the unknown object and therefore its mass as well. An electronic balance on the other hand works on the
concept of magnetic force restoration. The force of the object being weighed is simultaneously being lifted by an
electromagnet. The opposing forces are then measured which then gives the mass of the object being weighed. [6]
2. Discuss the possibility of using NH4Cl instead of NH3 to precipitate the phosphorus in the fertilizer sample.
NH4Cl cannot be used instead of NH 3 since MgCl2 will be formed which means that the ammonium phosphate
hexahydrate precipitate will not be formed and consequently the phosphorus content cannot be measured or
determined.