ESTIMATION OF CHLORIDE IN WATER SAMPLE

Aim: To determine

Determination of Chloride the given Water sample by the Mohr

Method.

Principle:
The Mohr method uses chromate ions as an indicator in the titration of chloride ions with
a silver nitrate standard solution. On gradual addition of AgNO3 solution AgCl,
precipitates at first. After all the chloride has been precipitated as white silver chloride,
the first excess of titrant results in the formation of a brick -red coloured precipitate of
silver chromate, which signals the end point. This is a precipitation titration. Precipitation
titrations are based upon reactions that yield ionic compounds of limited solubility. The
most important precipitating reagent is silver nitrate. Titrimetric methods based upon
silver nitrate are sometimes termed argentometric methods.
The reactions are:
AgNO3 + NaCl AgCl+ NaNO3
2AgNO3 + K2CrO4 Ag2CrO4 + 2KNO3
Or ionically,
Ag+ + Cl- AgCl(s)
2Ag+ + CrO42- Ag2CrO4 (s)
By knowing the stoichiometry and moles consumed at the end point, the amount of
chloride in an unknown sample can be determined.

Reagents:
Given water sample, standard N/10 AgNO3 Solution, 5% aquous solution of K2CrO4

Apparatus:
Pipettes, burette, conical flasks

Procedure:
Clean the burette and fill with standard AgNO3 solution and note the initial reading.
Take 25 ml of given water sample in conical flask.

Add 1 ml of 5% aquous solution of K2CrO4.

The mixture is titrated keeping flask against white background with standard AgNO3 with
constant shaking so that red colour produced by adding of each drop gradually
disappears.
When the red colour begins to disappear very slowly, AgNO3 solution is added dropwise
until a pale brown colour persists after swirling the liquid.
The titration is reapeted for concordat readings.

Observation:
Burette: standard N/10 AgNO3 Solutions.
Pipette: 25 ml. of water sample
Indicator: 1 ml of 5% aquous solution of K2CrO4
Color Change: yellow to brick red.

Observation table:
Sr. No.

1.
2.
3.

Volume of Burette reading (ml)

Vol. Of Na2S2O3
water
used
Initial
Burette Final
Burette solution
sample
(ml)
Reading
Reading
taken (ml)
.........ml
25 ml
.........ml
25 ml
.........ml
25 ml
V2=.........ml

Calculation:
Chloride (mg/L) = Burette reading X N of AgNO3 X 35 X 1000
Volume of sample

Results:
The chloride in the given water sample =

mg/L.