Final answer:
The question involves calculating the specific rotation of phenylsuccinic acid using polarimetry data which includes the mass of the substance, the volume of the solvent, and the observed rotation. The specific rotation is determined using the formula [α] = (αₒbs / (l * c)), taking into account the tube length and the concentration of the solution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has performed an experiment involving the measurement of an optical property of a substance using a polarimeter.
The substance in question is phenylsuccinic acid, which was dissolved in acetone to form a solution.
The specific optical rotation was determined using the observed angular rotation (aobs) obtained from a polarimeter after dissolving 0.8281 g of phenylsuccinic acid in 10 ml of acetone using a 1 dm tube.
To calculate the specific rotation, we use the formula [α] = (αₒbs / (l * c)), where [α] is the specific optical rotation, αₒbs is the observed rotation, l is the length of the tube in decimeters, and c is the concentration of the solution in grams per milliliter (g/ml).
The concentration is calculated by dividing the mass of the phenylsuccinic acid by the volume of the solvent (acetone).
For the given data, the calculation would proceed as follows:
1. Calculate the concentration (c) of the substance: concentration = 0.8281 g / 10 ml = 0.08281 g/ml.
2. Use the tube length (l) directly since it is already given in decimeters: l = 1 dm.
3. Calculate the specific rotation ([α]):
[α] = (10.278 deg / (1 dm * 0.08281 g/ml))