The CMU chemistry department has met regulatory and waste disposal concerns by using a non-toxic food color in a general chemistry experiment. Erythrosin B was found to be a suitable alternative to Sodium Dichromate when teaching solution preparation and the principles of spectrophotometry. Students weigh a small mass of Erythrosin B and prepare several solutions that are measured in a spectrophotometer. From these a Beer's Law plot is constructed. Finally, concentrations of unknown solutions are determined using the spectrophotometer and the Beer's Law plot.
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