Food Colorant Experiment

Ema Condori-Teves

Nathan Nguyen

10/28/17
Introduction

The experiment that will be performed is the food colorant experiment. There are

many different types of name brand sodas that are on the market such as Coca Cola, Pepsi,

Dr. Pepper, Sprite, etc. Most of these products contain colorants and dyes which are added

to them to make them more visually appealing for the consumers. The colorant and dyes

added are typically the primary colors of red, blue, or yellow which are combined at

different dilutions to create the desired color of the product.

In this lab, the task is to reverse engineer the exact dyes used in an unknown

sample. A name brand sample will be provided, the exact colorants and dyes used in this

sample must be detected using absorption spectroscopy. Absorption spectroscopy allows

for the wavelength of a mixture to be measured which will aide in determining the dyes

used in the mixture with their corresponding matching wavelengths. Since the dyes

typically used are red, blue, and yellow, these dyes will be used to compare the wavelength

of the sample and the calculated dyes. The results from the sample in the absorption

spectroscopy will then be compared to different pure solutions of dyes so that scientist can

determine what dyes were used to create the given unknown sample.

Experimental

Materials available:

Sample of Name Brand Beverage

Solution of FD&C Blue #1 (6.75×10ˆ-6 M)
Solution of FD&C Red #40 (4.00×10ˆ-5 M)
Solution of FD&C Yellow #5 (4.00×10ˆ-5 M)
Cuvettes
Absorption Spectrometer
10 mL Volumetric Flask
Parafilm
Beral Pipettes
Common Laboratory Equipment

First, check to see that the Measurenet system and Absorption Spectrometer are

correctly set up and prepped for the experiment. Place the given sample of the name brand

beverage in the spectrometer after it has already been zeroed and referenced correctly and

collect and save the graphed data of the wavelengths found within the sample. To

determine the dyes used in the unknown sample from the graph, the graphs of the

provided known dyes must be sampled and graphed so that they can be compared.

Assuming that the most concentrated version of the dyes are not the only possibility for

dyes used in the unknown sample, each dye should be sampled at least 5 times with a

different dilutions of that dye each sampled time.

When doing the dilutions for each dye, the volumetric flask and the parafilm should

be used to mix the calculated ratio of distilled water and the dye. After the calculated ratio

of the dye and water have been thoroughly mixed, that mixture should be poured into a

cuvette at least ¾ of the way up and the cuvette should be capped. This concentration

should be taken to the Absorption spectrometer to be measured and graphed always

remembering to zero and reference the spectrometer before each sample with the given

black and clear cuvettes provided. This step must be repeated for each concentration

created for each of the dyes.

To simplify the task of diluting each dye, the solutions will each equate to a total of 5

mL. One of the graphs measured using the spectrometer and the dye should be the actual
given known dye with no dilution calculated for it so that the most concentrated version of

the dye’s graph can be used. An example of the dilutions to be calculated would be using a

1:4 ratio of distilled water and the given dye and using the equation M1M1=M2V2 to solve

for V1 where M1 would be equal to 1.0. Each dye should have a total of 5 dilutions.

After all the data is gathered, the graphs should be created from that data using

either excel. Spreadsheets or google sheets. The graphs will be sufficient in order to

compare the wavelengths of the unknown sample and the known solutions in order to

determine the exact dyes used in the unknown sample.

Results:

Concentration (M) Absorbance @λmax Concentration (M) Absorbance @λmax

0.10 M 0.293 0.10 M 1.118
0.08 M 0.231 0.08 M 0.926
0.06 M 0.170 0.06 M 0.758
0.04 M 0.113 0.04 M 0.505
0.02 M 0.069 0.02 M 0.180

Beer-Lambert Plot for Blue #1 Beer-Lambert Plot Yellow #5

0.35 1.4
0.3 y = 2.83x + 0.0054 1.2 y = 11.485x + 0.0083
R² = 0.996 R² = 0.9815
0.25 1
Absorbance
Absorbance

0.2 0.8
0.15 0.6
0.1 0.4
0.05 0.2
0 0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
Concentration (M) Concentration (M)
Absorption of unknown solution at λ max for Blue #1:

Absorption of unknown solution at λ max for Yellow #5:

Discussion

From the results gathered, it was concluded that the given unknown sample of the
Name Brand Beverage contains a 0.173 M solution of Blue #1 and a 0.00956 M solution of
Yellow #5. From the results, it is possible to reverse engineer the exact color of the name
brand beverage. These results were calculated from first graphing the data for the
unknown solution and determining the dyes used. From that graph of the wavelengths
visible in the unknown solution, it was apparent that only blue and yellow wavelengths
were found in the solution meaning only blue and yellow dyes were used to create the
desired color.

To determine the exact concentrations of the blue and yellow dyes used to create
the desired color, the blue and yellow dyes were tested at five different concentration each
and graphed. To get these concentration values, they must first be calculated. This was
done by deciding on five different concertation and using the equation M1V1=M2V2 to find
the ratio of dye to distilled water needed to create that concentration. The ratio was used to
create each different concentration which was mixed in the volumetric flask and poured
into a cuvette to be measured. From the graphs, the absorption value was determined using
the λ max of each different concentration used.

Using the absorption values for each of the five concentrations collected, a beer-
lambert plot was created providing an equation for both the yellow and blue dye. Then
referencing back to the graph for the unknown solution, the absorption value was gathered
for both the yellow and blue dye using the λ max of each color. That value was plugged into
each corresponding equation as the y value and the equation was solved for x. That x value
determined for each dye provides the concentration used of each dye that was found in the
unknown solution. From those numbers, it is possible to reverse engineer the exact color.
To create a 10mL solution of the sample, the equation M1V1=M2V2 was used again with
the new concertation values plugged in to create a 4.32 mL to 0.68 mL ratio of distilled
water and the blue dye, to a 0.47 mL to 4.53 mL ratio of yellow dye and distilled water.

Conclusion

When given a sample name brand solution containing specific dyes, it is possible to
determine the dyes and concentrations used to create the color of the sample with the
correct methods and resources. Using absorption spectroscopy, the dyes in the sample
were able to be determined. By calculating and graphing the different concentrations of
each dye found within that sample, it was possible to create a beer-lambert plot. The beer-
lambert plot for each solution provided an equation that could be used to determine the
exact concentrations found in the name brand sample. With this, it is possible to reverse
engineer the color used in the name brand sample.

Bibliography

Stanton, B., Zhu, L., & Atwood, C. H. (2010). Experiments in general chemistry featuring
measurenet: guided inquiry, self-directored, and capstone. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole,
Cengage Learning.