6.

Potentiometric Titration

Objectives:
1. To illustrate the types of titration curves obtained with a strong acid and weak acid
against a strong base.
2. To determine the equivalence point of an acid-base titration by graphical methods.
3. To determine the pKa of a weak acid
Chemical/Apparatus:
Approximately 0.1 M HCl
Approximately 0.1 M NaOH
Potassium acid phthalate (KHP)
Burette (50 mL)
Beakers (250 mL)
pH-meter
Magnetic stirrer
Procedure:

(a) Strong Acid-Strong Base Titration

Pipette a 25.00 mL of about 0.1 N HCl into 250-mL beaker and dilute the solution to about
100 mL with distilled water. Place the beaker with solution and spin bar on magnetic stir
plate. Insert and adjust the electrodes into the solution, being sure that they dip about ½
inch below the surface and the spin bar rotates uniformly without hitting them. Set up a
burette containing about 0.1 NaOH with the tip touching the side of the beaker to avoid
spattering. Measure and record the pH of the solution before the addition of the titrant.
Then add from the burette about 5 mL of the base solution and again measure the pH.
Record this value as well as the burette reading at this point.

Proceed in this manner to record the pH and burette readings after the addition of about
10, 15, and 20 mL of titrant. Then add the titrant in about 1-mL intervals until the equivalent
point is almost reached. Then add the titrant in 0.1-ml intervals until the equivalence point
is passed. It will be evident when this point is reached because of the large change in pH
that occurs. Finally, record two additional readings at about 5 and 10 mL of excess titrant.

Make the following plots of data:

(1) pH vs. mL of NaOH
(2) ΔpH/ ΔV vs. mL of NaOH
(3) Δ2 pH/ ΔV2 vs. mL of NaOH
(4) Gran Plot
(b) Weak Acid-Strong Base Titration

Weigh to the nearest 0.1 mg, approximately 0.60 g of standard potassium acid phthalate.
Dissolve the sample in about 100-mL of distilled water and titrate with the sodium
hydroxide solution. Measure the pH at different increments of titrant as in part (a).

Plot the titration data in the same manner as above and compare the curves obtained for
the weak acid and with those obtained for the strong acid. Justify the selection of the
phenolphthalein as the indicator in titrimetric method of analysis. Determine the pKa of
KHP.