Quantitative analysis

Acid-Base titration
Objectives

 To determine the concentration of a solution with

unknown concentration (Analyte) using another
solution with known concentration (Standard).
 To practice the Titration (Volumetric method).
 Titration Basics
 Titration is a common laboratory method of
quantitative-chemical analysis which is used to
determine the concentration of a solution with
unknown concentration (Analyte) using another
solution with known concentration (Standard) in
which the end point is detected by the indicator.

 Since, volume measurements play a key role in

titration, it is also known as volumetric analysis

There are many types of titration and the major type is:

(Acid-Base titration)
Evolution of the Burette
Acid - Base Titrations (Neutralization)

Titrations
In an acid-base titration experiment,
a solution of accurately known
molar concentration (Standard-
base) is added gradually from a
burette to another solution of
unknown concentration (Analyte-
acid) in a flask, until the chemical
reaction (Neutralization) between
the acid and the base is complete.
The end point of the reaction is
detected using an indicator.
Types of the indicators used in the titration
 The indicator used in the titration depends on the type of the acid and base. The
selection of an indicator depends on the pH at the end point, therefore the indicator
changes its color within the pH at the endpoint. So any indicator mainly has three
colors, color before the pH range, color within the pH range and color after the pH
range.

 Examples:

1- Strong acid with weak base, pH at end point ≈ 2-5

(Indicator: Methyl orange)

2- Strong acid with strong base, pH at end point ≈ 6-9,

(Indicator: Phenolphthalein)

3- Weak acid with strong base, pH at end point ≈ 9-13

(Indicator: Phenolphthalein or Alizarin)
 Acid - Base Titrations (Neutralization)
 Acid-base titration is based on the neutralization reaction between an
acid (usually analyte) and base (usually standard).
H + (acid) + OH – (base) H2O

 In today’s experiment, the In Acidic media At END-POINT In Basic media

indicator of the acid-base

titration is Phenolphthalein and
the colors are:

 colorless in acid solution

 Light pink in neutral solution
 Dark pink in base solution

Remember: The type of indicator used in the titration depends on pH of the solution
 Equivalence Point and End point
 Equivalence-Point: the point at which the acid reacts (H+) completely with
the base (OH-).
OR, facid×(# of moles of acid) = fbase×(# of moles of base).

 End-Point: the point at which the indicator changes its color, as a result the
color of the solution changed.

 The point which is detected experimentally by an indicator is the End-point

and NOT the equivalence-point.

 The difference between the two point (Experimentally) is few drops, so that
in the calculations the volume difference is ignored.

Remember:To minimize the drops difference between the end point and the
equivalence point, the color of the indicator at the end point should be very light
(the color that lasts only for less than 30 seconds with stirring).
 Neutralization Reactions Definitions
 Equivalence point: The point in the reaction at which mole of acid is equal
mole of base (If mole ratio 1:1).
OR, it’s the point at which the acid (H+) reacts completely with base (OH-).

facid × Mole Acid = fbase × Mole Base

facid (M×V)acid = fbase (M×V)base

 End Point: the point at which indicator changes its color, therefore the color of
the solution changed.

 Titrant (Standard solution): The solution with known concentration which

usually filled up in the burette.

 Analyte: The solution with unknown concentration which usually

filled up in the flask.
 Calculations
Molarity (mol/L) = No. of moles (mol) / volume (L)

At Equivalence point:

facid × Moles acid = fbase × Moles base

facid × (M ×V)acid = fbase × (M ×V)base
• M = Molarity.
• V = Volume of solution.
• facid = No. of reacting hydrogen (H+) e.g. HCl (f = 1), H2SO4 (f = 2),
CH3COOH (f = 1) etc..
• fbase = No. of reacting hydroxide (OH-) e.g. NaOH (f = 1), Ca(OH)2 (f = 2) etc..
Examples:
Q1- A 13.50 mL of 0.050 M HCl titrated with 18.70 mL of Al(OH)3. Calculate
the molarity of the Al(OH)3.

fHCl (Moles HCl) = fAl(OH)3 (Moles base) fHCl (M × V)HCl = fAl(OH) (M × V)AL(OH)3
3

1 (0.050 M × 13.50 mL)HCl = 3 (M ×18.70 mL)Al(OH)3 MAl(OH)3 = 0.012 M

Q2- A 0.0300 gm of a diprotic acid dissolved and diluted with distilled water then
titrated with 21.50 mL of 0.0311 M NaOH. Calculate the molar mass of the
diprotic acid.

facid (Moles acid) = fNaOH (Moles NaOH) facid (mass/MM) = fNaOH (M × V)NaOH

2 (0.0300 gm/MM) = 1 (0.0311 M × 21.50/1000 L)

MM = 89.7 g/mol
Example: Titration of a Strong Acid with a Strong Base

 The pH has a low value at the beginning (Acid).

 The pH changes slowly (adding of the base)
 until just before the equivalence point.

 The pH rises sharply

 perhaps 6 units per 0.1 mL addition of titrant.

 The pH rises slowly again.

 Any Acid-Base Indicator
can be used.
 As long as color change occurs
between pH 4 and 10
(e.g. phenolphthalein).
 Experiment Work Scheme

H2SO4

This part will be

done in the lab H2SO4

H2SO4
Experiment Procedure
Titration of unknown concentration H2SO4 using standard NaOH
1. Clean a burette and rinse it with distilled water and fill the burette with the standard NaOH
solution given.
2. Make sure that the air bubbles are removed from the tip of the burette, and that the initial
reading is within the scale of the burette.
3. Rinse your 10.00 ml pipette with distilled water and then with about1 ml of the unknown
sulfuric acid solution.
4. Pipette a 10.00 ml of the unknown sulfuric acid into a clean 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask
5. Add about 25 ml of distilled water and 2 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the flask.
6. Titrate the acid solution with standard NaOH solution.
7. The titration should be stopped as close to the end point as possible , that is , when
the first permanent pink color is observed.
8. Record the initial and the final volume readings of the NaOH on the report sheet.
9. Repeat procedures for two or more times in order to get atleast 3 precise results.
10. For each of these three titrations , calculate the molarity of the NaOH solution using the
formula.
11. Check that these molarity values differ by no more than 1%.
12. If not, repeat the titrations until three trials give a percent difference less than 1%.
 Volume taken from the Burette

• The volume of the solution taken by burette is

determined using this equation:

• Volume of solution = Final reading – Initial reading

42.30 mL 21.30 mL
 Report Sheet Average Molarity of the NaOH solution = M
(obtained From part one)
(Data) a. Titration of the unknown sulfuric acid:
Volume of the unknown sulfuric acid solution (Pipette) = mL

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Initial Reading
Final Reading

(Calculations) b. Molarity of the unknown sulfuric acid: Unknown # =

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

(1) Volume of NaOH
(2) Volume of H2SO4
(3) Molarity of H2SO4
(4) % Difference = largest molarity – smallest molarity × 100
smallest molarity
Average Molarity of
the unknown H2SO4