ACID-BASE TITRATION

AIM: EXPLAINING HOW THE NEUTRALIZATION REACTION IS USED IN ACID-

BASE TITRATIONS
• Examples of Primary Standards: Na2CO3 and NaCl.

Secondary standard:
• A secondary standard is a reagent that has been standardized against a primary standard. In other
words, a secondary standard’s concentration is known by titrating it against a measured volume of a
primary standard instead of by weighing it out and dissolving it in a solvent.
• A secondary standard may be less pure and more reactive than a primary standard, but it still upholds
some of the properties of a standard. It’s stable enough that its concentration remains known for a
long time.
• Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a common secondary standard.
ACID-BASE INDICATORS

• These are weak organic compounds that have different colors at different pH degrees.
• Of the commonly used indicators are phenolphthalein (phph), methyl orange (M.O.), and
litmus.
DETERMINATION OF THE CONCENTRATION OF HCL
ACID BY TITRATION AGAINST NA2CO3

• Titration reaction: Na2CO3 + 2HCl  2 NaCl + H2O + CO2

• Procedure:
1. Add 10 mL of HCl to a conical flask and the add 3-5 drops of the M.O. indicator.
2. Fill the burette with Na2CO3 and adjust the solution level to the zero mark.
3. Hold to the burette to the clump on the stand and open the stop cocktail to drain the Na2CO3
(0.05N) solution slowly from the burette (≈2 drops/sec).
4. When the color changes from red to yellow, immediately close the stop cocktail and stop the
titration process.
5. See the level of the Na2CO3 solution in the burette and define the volume drained from it (VNa2CO3).

6. Repeat the experiment 3 times and take the average of VNa2CO3.

DETERMINATION OF THE CONCENTRATION
OF HCL ACID BY TITRATION AGAINST NA2CO3
• Note: Stop the titration process once the color change happens and continue to intensify
the new color.

• Calculations:
The gram equivalents of HCl = The gram equivalents of Na 2CO3
N1 V1 = N 2 V2
(HCl) (Na2CO3)

N1 × 10 = 0.05 × VNa2CO3(burette)