COMMON ION EFFECT AND BUFFERS

A. M. C. F. ABLANG1
1National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Science
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Date Submitted: 26 February 2019
Date Performed: 19 February 2019

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

1. Account for the differences in color of Solutions 1, 2, 3, and 4, after adding the
appropriate virtual indicators. Explain in terms of the pKa's of phenolphthalein and
methyl orange.
In using acid-base indicators, if both weak acid and weak base (including the indicator)
can be detected equally as easily, the halfway-point between transitional color changes is reached
when the two concentrations are equal, or when the pH is equal to the indicator's pKa (Harvey,
2000; Petrucci et al., 2017). This range is given by pH = pKa  1. Illustrating this, the equilibrium of
an equation comprising a weak acid indicator leans toward producing its basic color if the
concentration of the weak base is smaller by 10x than that of the indicator (pKa + 1), and leans
toward acidic if the other way around (pKa - 1) (Chang, 2008; Harvey, 2000).
The pKa of methyl orange is 3.7 with its acid color (below pH 3.1) being red and its base
color (above pH 4.5) yellow (Harvey, 2000). A red-orange color was observed in solution 1,
consisting purely of CH3COOH and recording pH at 3.50 – below the pKa, while a yellow-orange
color was observed in solution 2, consisting of equal amounts and molarities CH3COOH and
NaCH3COO and recording a pH of 4.83 – above the pKa.
On the other hand, the pKa of phenolphthalein is 9.6 with its acid color (below pH 8.3)
being colorless and its base color (above pH 10) being red (Harvey, 2000). A vivid pink color was
observed in solution 3, which consisted only of NH3 and recorded pH at 10.47 – above the pKa,
while a pale pink color was seen in solution 4, consisting of equal amounts and molarities NH 3 and
NH4Cl and having a pH of 8.9 – below the pKa.

2. Describe and Rationalize the observed effect of additional acid or base on Solutions 1,
2, 3, and 4.
Additional acid or base mostly affected Solutions 1 and 3, which consistent purely of one
substance, by drastically changing its pH with only two or three drops added. Solutions 2 and 4,
however, were less perturbed by the change because they were prepared to be buffer solutions,
specifically consisting of a weak acid and its conjugate base as the case in Solution 2, and a weak
base and its conjugate acid as the case in Solution 4. The buffer solutions thus resist change as one
component neutralizes the acid and the other neutralizes the base, but they do not neutralize each
other (Petrucci et al., 2017; Skoog et al., 2013).
Additionally, integrating strong acid HCl to weak acid CH3COOH best illustrated in
Solution 2a decreased the concentration of the anion CH3COO-; moreover, the addition of products
to the system made it favor the reverse reaction, forming more CH3COOH and allowing only a small
pH change to take place. Solution 4c employs the same mechanism but for ionization of a weak
base, wherein addition of NaOH brought about the formation of more NH3 to be produced.
(Petrucci et al., 2017; Zumdahl & Zumdahl, 2011).

3. Compare the different methods of determining pH: visual indicators, pH meter, and
calculations. Compare the accuracy of the three methods.
Visual indicators are organic dye which have at least one distinguishably colored
conjugate acid-base species to result in pH and color change upon titration. These allow the
approximation of the hydrogen ion concentration while not needing tedious calibration to setup;
however, they are also the least accurate of the three methods in small concentrations. That said,
they produce results of higher precision and accuracy at higher concentrations. Other visual
indicators – including litmus paper and pH paper – are also rapid, portable, and inexpensive, but
the former is limited in not being able to indicate the strength of the acid or base, and the latter
only provides a pH range (Harvey, 2000; Khan et al., 2017; Skoog et al., 2013).
The pH meter is the most accurate out of the three when determining the actual pH of the
experimental solution, one main reason being that it removes number bias done in titration.
Unfortunately, it may also result in more figures than what is significant, skewing the total
accuracy of the measurement (Petrucci et al., 2017). Along with requiring constant calibration and
consisting of fragile components, it is also prone to acid and alkaline errors especially in the
presence of strong acids or high sodium concentrations. (Khan et al., 2017; Skoog et al., 2013).
The "true value" is obtained through calculations using logarithmic equations and the
Henderson-Hasselbach equation; however, this is not necessarily the most accurate because the
substance is most likely impure, which is impossible to be completely accounted for theoretically.

4. What are the possible sources of errors and their effect on the calculated parameters?
Rationalize.
Errors could have manifested as early as in solution preparation. If dilution of titrant HCl
was not done correctly and a higher molarity was achieved, color change would have occurred
much more rapidly during titration than what was theoretically predicted and calculated pH
would have been higher. Solutions 1, 2, 3, and 4 may have also been subject to error of lower or
higher pH if the three portions were not divided equally, or if the wrong volume of components
were prepared. Instrument-wise, the pH meter should have been properly calibrated lest the
measurements be inaccurate (Khan et al., 2017). During the experiment, leaving the HCl uncovered
could have also affected the acidity as it reacts with the carbon dioxide in the air.

REFERENCES
Chang, R. (2008). General chemistry: the essential concepts. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Harvey, D. (2000). Modern analytical chemistry. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Khan, M. I., Mukherjee, K., Shoukat, R., & Dong, H. (2017). A review on pH sensitive materials for sensors
and detection methods. Microsystem Technologies, 23(10), 4391-4404.
Petrucci, R. H., Herring, F. G., Bissonnette, C., & Madura, J. D. (2017). General chemistry: principles and
modern applications. Pearson.
Skoog, D. A., West, D. M., Holler, F. J., & Crouch, S. (2013). Fundamentals of analytical chemistry. Nelson
Education.
Zumdahl, S. S., & Zumdahl, S. A. (2011). Chemistry: An atoms first approach. Cengage Learning.