Semi quantative Benedict's test

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Semi quantative Benedict’s test

The Benedict’s test is for testing the presence of simple sugars in sample if sugars are present a colour change will occur from blue to red.

However although the benedict’s test shows the presence of sugars for which it is useful it cannot be used to accurately determine the concentration of sugar in a sample solution.

If you follow the method that we have followed which involved adding specific concentrations of glucose to the benedict’s to use as a chart to estimate the glucose concentration of an unknown solution X. Although this gives you a rough estimate of the concentration it is very inaccurate. For example the mystery solution X was a pale orange colour which was in-between the colours in my first and second test tube therefore the glucose concentration of solution X could have been anything in between 1%  and 10% glucose concentration. By it’s colour it seemed to be closer to test tube 1 therefore I estimated it to be 7%. However this method is extremely inefficient therefore that estimate could easily wrong.

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Hence this method is clearly seems to semi quantative and has sever limitations, too much is left down to estimation which is where human error could easily occur this is because in betweens cannot be accurately measured and have to be guessed at. In conclusion the method seems to flawed in the respect of accurately measuring the glucose concentration of solutions.

In order to make the experiment a ‘fair test’ there were three main variables which needed to be kept constant.

 

1) Firstly the volumes this included all measurements i.e. the amount of benedict’s solution used and ...

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