Chemistry Lab: Acid-Base Neutralization Titration Using Barium Hydroxide and

Sulfuric Acid
Objective:
To determine the concentration of a barium hydroxide solution by titrating it with a
standard solution of sulfuric acid and observing the formation of the insoluble salt barium
sulfate.
Materials:
 Sulfuric acid solution (H₂SO₄), standard solution (0.54 M)
 Barium hydroxide solution (Ba(OH)₂), unknown concentration
 Phenolphthalein indicator
 Burette (25 mL)
 Burette stand and clamp
 Pipette (25 mL) and pipette filler
 Conical flask (250 mL)
 White tile (to observe the color change)
 Distilled water
 Funnel
 Safety goggles and gloves
Safety Precautions:
 Wear safety goggles and gloves to protect against splashes.
 Handle sulfuric acid with care, as it is corrosive.
 Clean up any spills immediately and wash skin with plenty of water if contact
occurs.
Procedure:
1. Setup:
 Rinse the burette with distilled water and then with the sulfuric acid
solution.
 Fill the burette with the sulfuric acid solution using a funnel. Ensure the tip
of the burette is filled with acid and there are no air bubbles. Record the
initial volume of the acid in the burette.
  Rinse the pipette with distilled water and then with the barium hydroxide
solution.
2. Preparing the Barium Hydroxide Solution:
 Use the pipette filler to draw 25 mL of the barium hydroxide solution and
transfer it to a clean 250 mL conical flask.
 Add 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the barium hydroxide
solution. The solution should turn pink, indicating it is basic.
3. Titration:
 Place the conical flask on a white tile under the burette.
 Slowly add the sulfuric acid from the burette to the barium hydroxide
solution, swirling the conical flask continuously to mix.
 As the endpoint approaches (the pink color starts to fade), add the acid
dropwise while swirling the flask constantly.
 Stop adding the acid when the pink color just disappears, indicating that the
solution has become neutral. This is the endpoint of the titration.
 Record the final volume of the acid in the burette.
4. Calculations:
 Calculate the volume of sulfuric acid used by subtracting the initial volume
from the final volume.
 Use the balanced chemical equation to determine the moles of sulfuric acid
that reacted:

 The stoichiometric ratio between sulfuric acid and barium hydroxide is 1:1.
 Calculate the concentration of the barium hydroxide solution using the
formula:
Example Calculation:
Assume you used 24.0 mL (0.024 L) of 0.1 M sulfuric acid to neutralize 25 mL (0.025 L)
of barium hydroxide solution.
1. Calculate moles of sulfuric acid used:
 2. Since the reaction ratio is 1:1, moles of Ba(OH)₂ = moles of H₂SO₄ = 0.0024 moles.
3. Calculate the concentration of Ba(OH)₂:

Discussion:
 Discuss sources of error, such as parallax errors in reading the burette, incomplete
mixing, or not accurately identifying the endpoint.
 Consider repeating the titration to obtain concordant results (titres within 0.1 mL of
each other) to improve accuracy.
Conclusion:
Summarize the findings and state the determined concentration of the barium hydroxide
solution. Discuss the formation of the white precipitate (barium sulfate) and its significance
as an indicator of the reaction endpoint.