Obtain some distilled water. Record the temperature of the water.
Weigh a beaker and record the mass of the beaker. Then, transfer some water to the beaker using the pipet.
Determine the mass of the water that was transferred.
Look up the density of water at the temperature recorded above (a CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics will contain an appropriate table) and use the relationship between the density and the mass to determine the actual volume of water that was delivered.
Repeat several times and calculate the average volume delivered and the standard deviation.
Record the calibrated volume of the pipet in your notebook.
Discuss calibrated volume of the pipet with your instructor. How many significant figures can be reported? Do you need to repeat the calibration? Should you practice using the pipet before repeating the calibration? What might cause the standard deviation to be too large to be acceptable?
