PRINCIPLES INVOLVED

The preparation and standardization of Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) involves a neutralization reaction
between a strong base and a weak acid. It involves a direct titration using potassium biphthalate as
the primary standard. The indicator used is phenolphthalein TS. Its endpoint is indicated by a change
in the color of the solution from colorless to faint pink. The procedure is best performed at room
temperature.

Titration is a precise way often used in standardization. In other words, it is a method used to
determine the concentration of the dissolved substance in a solution. When an acid reacts with a
base, salt and water are produced as shown: HCl(acid) + NaOH(base) ➝ Na2SO4(salt) + H2O This is
known as an acid-base neutralization reaction as HCl is neutralizing NaOH to produce salt and water

Object. -Assay of Sodium Hydroxide.

Materials Required. -1.5 Gm. sodium hydroxide.

Procedure

1. "Dissolve about 1.5 Gm. of Sodium Hydroxide, accurately weighed, in about 40 cc. of recently
boiled and cooled distilled water.

Cool the solution to 15°C. and 'titrate with normal sulfuric acid, using

phenolphthalein T.S. as the indicator. At the discharge of the pink color

of the indicator, record the volume of acid solution required."

2. "Add 3 drops of methyl orange T.S., and continue the titration until

the production of a permanent pink color. Each cubic centimeter of total

sulfuric acid consumed is equivalent to 0.0400 Gm. of NaOH. Each cubic

centimeter difference between the number of cubic centimeters of normal

sulfuric acid consumed in the methyl orange and phenolphthalein titrations

is equivalent to 0.1060 Gm. of Na 2COa."

Chemical reaction/involved

Problem solving (using Primary standard)

1. Titration reveals that 11.6 mL of 3.0 M sulfuric acid are required to neutralize the sodium
hydroxide in 25.00 mL of NaOH solution. What is the molarity of the NaOH solution?

SOLUTIONS

H2SO4(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) → 2H2O(l) + Na2SO4(aq)

= 2.8 M NaOH

A 0.128 g sample of KHP (HKC8H4O4) required 28.54 mL of NaOH solution to reach a

phenolphthalein endpoint. Calculate the molarity of the NaOH.

HKC8H4O4 + NaOH -----> NaKC8H4O4 + H2O

2. (0.128 g KHP)(1 mol / 204.23 g KHP ) = 6.267 x 10-4 mol KHP

(6.267 x 10-4 mol KHP)(1 mol NaOH / 1 mol KHP) = 6.267 x 10-4 mol NaOH

6.267 x 10-4 mol NaOH / 0.02854 L NaOH = 0.0220 M NaOH