Purpose:

The purpose of this lab is to calculate the acid dissociation constant

(Ka) of acetic acid, HC2H3O2, and verify that it is indeed a constant regardless
of the concentration of the acid.

Background:
An acid dissociation constant, Ka (also known as the acid-ionization
constant), is a quantitative measure of the strength of an acid in solution. It is
the equilibrium constant for a dissociation chemical reaction in the context of
acid-base reactions. The dissociation equation is often written as HA A− +
H+, where HA is a generic acid that dissociates into A− (the conjugate base of
the acid) and H+, a hydrogen ion that exists in aqueous solutions as a
hydronium ion. In this experiment, HA represents acetic acid and A− represents
the acetate ion: HC2H3O2(aq) H+(aq) + C2H3O2(aq). The chemical species HA,
A− and H+ are said to be in equilibrium when their concentrations do not
change with the passing of time. The dissociation constant is usually written as
a quotient of the equilibrium concentrations (in mol/L), denoted by [HA], [A−]
and [H+]:

Materials:
 CBL program  100mL graduated cylinder
 TI Graphing Calculator w/  pH Sensor
Datamate program  1 Pipet
 Wash bottle filled with  Small beaker
distilled water  2.00 M HC H O
2 3 2

 (2) Stirring rods

Procedure:
1) Obtain and wear safety goggles.
2) Plug the pH Sensor into Channel 1 of the CBL 2 interface. Use the link
cable to connect the TI Graphing Calculator to the interface. Firmly
press in the cable ends.
3) Turn on the calculator and start the DATAMATE program. Press CLEAR to
reset the program.
4) Select SETUP from the main screen.
5) Press ENTER to select CH 1.
6) Select PH from the SELECT SENSOR menu, and then select OK to return
to the main screen.
 7) Pour the calculated volume of acetic acid required for the lab into a
small beaker.
8) Pour about 20mL of distilled water into a 100mL graduated cylinder,
followed by the calculated amount of acetic acid required to make a the
assigned molar solution in the same graduated cylinder. Then add more
distilled water to the graduated cylinder until the 100mL mark is
reached.
9) Stir the solution in the graduated cylinder thoroughly to prevent pH
readings from drifting.
10) Rinse the pH sensor with distilled water, and stick it into the graduated
cylinder to measure the pH of the solution.
11) Record the pH when the reading stabilizes.
12) Repeat Steps 8-11 with the 2nd assigned concentration of acetic acid.

Safety Precautions:
Handle acetic acid with care - it will cause painful burns if it comes
into contact with skin or gets into eyes.

Analysis:
The Ka expression was determined by dividing the product of the
concentrations of the products in the reaction by the product of the
concentrations of the reactants. The volumes of 2M acetic acid used were
20mL and 25mL, which were calculated by dividing 0.400M, the assigned
concentration, by 2.00M, the concentration of the acetic acid, and then
0.500M, the other assigned concentration, by 2.00M. The [H+] values of the
two solutions were calculated by taking the antilog of the measured pH values
because pH is the –log[H+]. The [C2H3O2] values of the two solutions were the
same as the [H+] values of each respective concentration because there is 1:1
stoichiometric ratio between the two products. The [HC2H3O2] values of the
two solutions were calculated by subtracting the [H+] or [C2H3O2] values from
the assigned concentrations, respectively, to find out how much how much
HC2H3O2 was still remained after the reaction. The Ka calculations were done
using the Ka expression for acetic acid, [C2H3O2-] [H+]
---------------------------
.
[HC2H3O2]

Possible sources of error include not measuring solution amounts precisely, an

inaccurate pH sensor, and human discretion when deciding when the reading
was “stabilized” (because the reading never completely stabilized) and the pH
should be recorded.
Observations:
The acetic acid had a pungent odor. When the solution in the graduated
cylinder was mixed, the acid was suspended for a brief moment. The displayed
pH readings on the calculator screen fluctuated greatly.

Conclusion:
The Ka of acetic acid was experimentally determined to be
1.325 X 10-5, and was indeed a constant regardless of the concentration of the
acid. The Ka of same which was calculated by taking the average of the Ka of
the 0.400M and the 0.500M acetic acid solutions. The equilibrium constant
expression, Ka, for the dissociation of acetic acid allowed the calculation of Ka
by formulating a mathematical relationship in which Ka equals the product of
the concentrations of the products in the reaction by the reactants in the
chemical reaction.
 Jonathan Chen
AP Chemistry/4th pd./1-5-10

Acid Dissociation Constant, Ka Pre-Lab

1) Write the equilibrium constant expression, Ka, for the dissociation of

acetic acid, HC2H3O2.
Ka = [C2H3O2]- [H]+
---------------------------

[HC2H3O2]
2) You have been assigned two different concentrations of acetic acid
solution by your teacher. Determine the volume, in mL, of 2.00 M
acetic acid required to prepare these two solutions.
0.400M/2.00M = 20.0mL
0.500M/2.00M = 25.0mL