ESTIMATION OF A MIXTURE OF STRONG AND WEAK ACIDS

BY CONDUCTOMETRY

Ex.No. :

Date:

Aim
To estimate the amount of a strong acid and a weak acid (CH3COOH) in the given mixture.
A standard base of strength ___________ is provided.

Scope
 This experiment is used to study the kinetics of Ester Hydrolysis

 It is also used to find the strength of an organic acid & mineral acid independently in any
mixture of acids
Principle
When a mixture of acid containing a strong acid and a weak acid is titrated against a strong alkali,
the stronger acid will be neutralized first. For example, in a mixture of HCl and acetic acid, the
neutralization of acetic acid will commence only after HCl has been neutralized completely.

Hence in the graph obtained by plotting conductance versus volume of base, there are two
equivalence points. First point is corresponding to the neutralisation of strong acid and the second
one is corresponding to the neutralisation of weak acid.
HCl + NaOH ――――► NaCl + H2O

CH3COOH + NaOH ――――► CH3COONa + H2O

Model Graph
Name of the titration : Estimation of ______________
Reaction: Neutralisation
Actual reactions: (i)

(ii)

Standard Base Vs Given Acid mixture

Volume of base Conductance Volume of base Conductance

S.No S.No
(ml) (mmho) (ml) (mmho)
1. 21.
2. 22.
3. 23.
4. 24.
5. 25.
6. 26.
7. 27.
8. 28.
9. 29.
10. 30
11. 31.
12. 32.
13. 33.
14. 34.
15. 35.
16. 36.
17. 37.
18. 38.
19. 39.
20. 40.
Calculation

The first break in the graph corresponds to the neutralisation of strong acid (Vx) and second break
to that of weak acid (Vy). The total volume of acid used for neutralization is given by V = Vx +
Vy.

1. For Strong Acid : ______________

Volume of standard base Vx = _________ml
Strength of standard base (N1) = _________N
Volume of acid mixture (V2) = 40 ml

Strength of acid (N2) = VxN1/40 =_________x_______/40

=_______N
Equivalent weight of the given __________ = __________
Amount of given acid in 1 litre of solution = Strength x Equivalent weight of
strong acid
= _______ x __________
= _________ g
2. For Acetic Acid
Volume of standard base
(Vy) = ________ml
Strength of base (N1) =________N
Volume of acid mixture (V2) = 40 ml
Strength of the given acid (N2) = VyN1/40 =______x___________/40
=__________ N
Equivalent Weight of acetic acid is 60.
Amount of acetic acid in 1 litre of solution = Strength x Equivalent weight of
acetic acid
= __________x 60
= ________ g
Procedure

40 ml of the given solution is pipetted out into a 250 ml beaker. The solution is stirred and then
conductivity cell is immersed to measure the initial conductance. Standard base is taken in a burette
and aliquots of 0.5 ml are added to the acid mixture in the beaker at periodic intervals. After each
addition, the solution is stirred thoroughly (about 30 secs.) and corresponding conductance is
measured.

Titration is continued till the conductance value shows an initial decrease followed by a slow
increase and then a rapid increase. The values are tabulated and a graph is drawn taking the volume
of alkali in X-axis and conductance in Y-axis. From the graph, the volume of base utilized by
strong and weak acids is determined and the amount of strong and weak acids present in the
mixture is calculated.

Result

The amount of strong acid in the given solution =___________g/L

The amount of weak acid in the given solution =___________g/L

Total amount of acid in the mixture =_________+________=___________ g /L