I am on an online Chem lab. One of our questions is "can you use a beaker to prepare a solution by dilution, instead of using a volumetric flask? Why or why not?" We watched a video but it doesn't give help to this question at all.
1 Answer
Absolutely! But you probably wouldn't want to.
If you look at any piece of graduated glassware, you will see that there is a variation (+/-) or degree of uncertainty listed on it. Therefore, if you were to prepare a dilution, or any concentration of a a solution, your confidence in the actual volume, and therefore concentration, of that solution would be significantly lower in a beaker (with a 5-10%+ variance, depending on the volume) versus a volumetric flask, which may only have a 0.10% (or less) margin of error.
Therefore, while you could make a solution by diluting it in a beaker, the likelihood that you would achieve your desired volume (and therefore concentration) of solution, would be significantly less than in using a piece of equipment specialized for such a task - a volumetric flask.
Simple answer, to the point with additional info here http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Analytical_Chemistry/Analytical_Chemistry_2.0/02_Basic_Tools_of_Analytical_Chemistry/2E%3A_Preparing_Solutions
