Two FACM students were arguing whether Grace or Geddy’s vinegar is better for pickling

vegetables. As their friend who does chemistry, Plan and Design an experiment whose
result will once and for all settle the argument between students.

HYPOTHESIS: Grace contains a higher concentration of acetic (ethanoic) acid than

Geddy’s making it a better vinegar for pickling.

AIM: To determine the concentration of acetic acid using acid-base titration.

APPARATUS/MATERIALS: Retort Stand, Conical Flask, Measuring Cylinder, Filter

Funnel, White Tile, Pipette, Burette, Pipette Filler, Grace Vinegar, Geddy’s Vinegar, Beaker,
Phenolphthalein, Distilled Water, Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)

METHOD:

● Pour out a sample of Grace and Geddy’s vinegar into separate beakers and label
them Sample A and Sample B respectively.
● After conditioning both the burette and pipette by first rinsing with distilled water, then
rinsing the burette with 0.1M NaOH, and the pipette with Sample A vinegar.
● Attach a 50ml burette filled to a convenient mark with NaOH to a retort stand.

● Using a measuring cylinder pour 5ml of Sample A vinegar into a conical flask, and
then pour 20ml of distilled water into the flask, then place the conical flask beneath
the burette set up on a white tile.
● Add about 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator into the conical flask containing the
vinegar and swirl gently to mix it in. Open the stop-cork of the burette and begin the
titration until a faint pink colour is observed.
● Repeat the titration until successive readings agree and record the results on a table.

● Repeat the above steps using instead Sample B vinegar.

VARIABLES:
- CONTROLLED – Concentration of NaOH
- MANIPULATED – Brand of Vinegar
- RESPONDING – The pink colour change
DATA TO BE COLLECTED:
TABLE ILLUSTRATING THE BURETTE READING FOR THE SODIUM HYDROXIDE TITRATION
WITH GRACE VINEGAR

Burette readings/cm3 Rough 1 2

Final volume

Initial volume

Volume of Sodium
hydroxide used

TABLE ILLUSTRATING THE BURETTE READING FOR THE SODIUM HYDROXIDE TITRATION
WITH GEDDY’S VINEGAR

Burette readings/cm3 Rough 1 2

Final volume

Initial volume

Volume of Sodium
hydroxide used

TREATMENT OF RESULTS:
Calculations for EACH titration:
● The number of moles of sodium hydroxide necessary to titrate the vinegar:
molar mass of NaOH = (moles of NaOH) ÷ (volume of NaOH)
moles NaOH = (volume of NaOH ) * (mass of NaOH )

● Mass of acetic acid present in each titration from the molar mass
molar mass = (mass) ÷ (moles)
mass of ethanoic acid = (molar mass) * (moles)

● The percentage mass of acetic acid found in the vinegar from the mass of acetic
acid and the mass of vinegar.
percentage mass = (mass of ethanoic acid) ÷ (mass of vinegar) * 100
EXPECTED RESULTS: If the volume of NaOH used is higher for Grace, it therefore means
that Grace contained a higher concentration of acetic acid than Geddy’s, proving the
hypothesis to be valid.

ASSUMPTION: No liquid is lost when transferring to the conical flask.

SOURCE OF ERROR: A white tile is placed under the conical flask to accurately observe
the pink colour change.