Experiment #3:

Acid-Base Titration Curves and Acid-Base

Indicators

OBJECTIVES
1. To study the interaction of acids and bases.
2. To examine methods for determining equivalence points of these reactions.

THEORY AND DEFENITIONS

The study of acid-base titrations involves consideration of the reactions which occur
between acids and bases. For this purpose, it is convenient to distinguish between
strong and weak acids and bases.

Titration is an analytical method used to determine the exact amount of a substance

by reacting that substance with a known amount of another substance. The completed
reaction of a titration is usually indicated by a color change or an electrical
measurement. An acid/base neutralization reaction will yield salt and water. In an
acid-base titration, the neutralization reaction between the acid and base can be
measured with either a color indicator or a pH meter.

Acid + Base →Salt +Water

In this experiment, a phenolphthalein and methyl orange color indicators will be used.
Phenolphthalein is colorless in acidic solutions and pink in basic solutions, but methyl
orange is red in acidic solutions and yellow in basic solutions.

In typical titration, the titrant in the burets is added to the solution in the flask until the
indicator changes color to show that the reaction is complete.

Titration: Determination of the concentration of an acid or base in a known volume

of solution by measure addition of solution of known concentration for completion by
observed end point.

Acid: Substance which produces H+ or absorbs OH- when added to water. (Proton
Donor).

Base: Substance which release OH- or absorbs H+ when added to water. (Proton
Acceptor).

PH =−Log [ H + ]
H 2 O⇔ H + +OH −
K w =[ H + ] [OH − ]=10−14
Strong Acids/Bases: Substance which is completely dissociated into its ions in
solution, (Complete Ionization).

HCL→ H + +CL−
H 2 SO 4 →2 H + + SO 4−2
NaOH → Na+ +OH −
Weak Acids/Bases: Substance which is partially dissociated into its ions in solution,
(Partial Ionization).
+ −
CH 3 COOH → H +CH 3 COO

Burets: Is a laboratory instrument use to add measured volumes of solutions to other

containers.

Titrant: Solution in the burets, which has a known concentration.

Indicator: The completion of the reaction is usually shown by a change of color

caused by a substance called an indicator which is usually organic acids containing
one or more ionizable protons.

Titration Curve for an acid-base titration may be obtained by measuring PH vs.

volume of acid or base added.

To determine the Equivalence point (E.P) of an acid-base titration, either a PH meter

or an acid-base indicator can be used.

(E.P) for strong acid and base happened at PH=7

The PH of the Equivalence point is dependent upon: the degree of dissociation of

the weak acid and its concentration as well as on the ionization constant of water.

APPARATUS AND CHEMICALS REQUIRED

1. pH meter.
2. Glass indicator electrode.
3. Calomel reference electrode.
4. Magnetic stirrer burets.
5. Sodium Hydroxide with a known concentration.
6. Hydrochloric Acid with unknown concentration.
7. Acetic Acid with unknown concentration.
8. Indicator solutions: Methyl orange, phenolphthalein.
9. 500 mL Florence Flask.
10. 250 mL Erlenmeyer Flask.
11. 1 Liter plastic bottle.
12. Distilled water.
13. graduated cylinder.
14. 2 burette

PROCEDURE

DEVELOPED THE TITRATION CURVE AND DETERMINE THE

EQUIVALENCE POINT FOR TITRATION.
1. Add two drops of a phenolphthalein indicator to a given volume of HCL solution
with unknown concentration in a beaker and observe the color that results.
2. Insert the PH electrode and observe PH.
3. Titrate the stirred solution with NaOH of known concentration from a buret, taking
enough readings of titrant volume and PH to define titration curve.
4. Carry out the titration to a point at least 5ml beyond the point at which the indicator
change color.
5. Repeat the same steps for the methyl orange indicator.
6. Repeat the same procedure for titration of acetic acid solution with unknown
concentration.

NOTE: The proper reading level of each buret is taken from the bottom of the
meniscus
 CALCULATIONS

CH3COOH HCL

PHPH M.O PHPH M.O Indicator

TitrantNaOH
pH
)ml(

1. Plot PH vs. titrant volume, to determine the volume of titrant required to reach
the equivalence point.
2. Calculate the concentration of each acid solution knowing the molarity of
NaOH solution.

3. Calculate the buffer intensities.

Δ ( titrant volume )
B=
ΔpH

NOTES:

Volume of titrant vs. PH is not linear.

Titrant curves of strong acid- strong base is increasing sharply.