Name: Gomez, Ashley June M.

Date Performed: 09/18/2019

Lebrillo, Kynn Group No. (Group 4)
Lumawig, Jane Nicor
Experiment No.2
Determination of Acetic Acid Content in Vinegar

Background/ Introduction

Acetic Acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula of CH3COOH. It used

in creating vinegars by diluting Acetic Acid to water (Brown, 2018). Vinegar is an

important part of the food industry. Vinegar has many beneficial properties; it has

antioxidant and antimicrobial properties for example. Vinegar is used in pickling fruits

and vegetables, it is also an essential seasoning used in food (Mercola, 2014). Vinegar

is an aqueous solution of an organic acid, the acetic acid (Mm=60.05 g/mol), regardless

of its variety. It is a chemical substance subjected to analytical scrutiny. The FDA (Food

and Drug Administration) set certain standards for every food item that contains

chemical substance. According to those standards, the concentration of acetic acid in

common vinegar cannot be less than 4 or more than 5 percent by weight. The acid

content in vinegar is referred to as acidity. The acidity in each specific batch of vinegar

produced is routinely verified by the quality control lab at the manufacturer’s site,( A+

Essay Examples, Research Papers and Topics, 2013).

An acid can be titrated by a base, so as with vinegar. Titration is the process of

adding a known amount of a solution of known concentration to a known amount of

solution of unknown concentration. The addition of the titrant will stop after a color
change is observed. Titration process is usually done with an indicator; the indicator

allows for the color change to occur (Titration, 2017). Sodium hydroxide often appears

wet since it absorbs moisture from air. Thus, if the solution of sodium hydroxide is

prepared by weighing, the concentration of solution may not be precisely the intended

concentration. Meanwhile, potassium phthalate has lesser tendency to absorb water

from air and will dry for a reasonable period of time. Potassium hydrogen phthalate is

a primary standard and it means that carefully prepared solution of known concentration

of potassium hydrogen phthalate may be used to determine the concentration of other

solution such as sodium hydroxide and the reaction would be,

KCO2C6H4CO2H + NaOH → KCO2C6H4CO2Na + H2O

The equivalence point of titration occurs when chemically equivalent amounts of

acid and base are present. Once the equivalent point of the titration is known, the

concentration of sodium hydroxide can be determined and it is then use to titrate

vinegar. Concentration of vinegar is determined and the percent acetic acid can be

determined from the concentration of vinegar. The reaction between standard sodium

hydroxide and acetic acid in vinegar shows,

NaOH(aq) + HC2H3O2(aq) → NaC2H3O2(aq) + H2O(l)

This experiment also ought to determine the percent acetic acid in a commercial

vinegar sample by the method of standardization of a solution.

To end, the purpose and rationale of conducting this kind of experiment is for us

students to have the knowledge on how to prepare a NaOH solution, standardized

NaOH against primary standard KPH and to also determine

II. Results

1. Standardization of Sodium Hydroxide

Primary Standard Used: KHP

Formula Mass of Primary Standard: 204.22 g/mol

% Purity of Primary Standard: 99.99%

RESULTS Trial 1 Trial 2

Weight of STD KHP (g) 0.5005 0.5013

Corrected Weight of KHP (g) 0.4999995 0.5007987

Conxentration of KHP 99.99% 0.999

Final Reading of NaOH (mL) 20.75 21.3

Initial Reading of NaOH (mL) 0.5 0.4

Volume of NaOH used (mL) 20.25 20.9

in L 0.020225 0.0209

Molarity of NaOH 0.12105501 0.117332584

Average Molarity of NaOH 0.119193797 0.119193797

Standard Deviation 0.002632153 0.002632153

Relative Standard Deviation

(SD/Mean)* 100 2.208296732 2.208296732

3. Determining the Acid Content of Vinegar

 Trials 1 2 3

Volume of Vinegar Used (mL) 25 25 25

Volume of Aliquot Used (mL) 50 50 50

Final Reading of NaOH (mL) 30.9 30.7 30.8

Initial Reading of NaOH (mL) 0 0 0

Volume of NaOH Used (mL) 30.9 30.7 30.8

Percent (w/v) CH3COOH 4.424125697 4.395490579 4.409808138

Standard Deviation 0.014317559 0.014317559 0.014317559

Relative Standard Deviation 0.324675325 0.324675325 0.324675325

(SD/Mean)* 100

Average Percent (w/v) CH3COOH 4.409808138 4.409808138 4.409808138

in ppt (parts per thousands)= 324.6753247

III. Discussion

a. Discuss procedure use

Titration is used to measure the unknown concentration of a solution using a

solution of known concentration. This process needs an indicator to indicate changes in

color. Changes in color dictates whether the endpoint has been reached or not (Titration,

2017). In the standardization of Sodium Hydroxide, the primary standard used was

KHP with a % purity of 99.99%. Primary standards are usually used in titration because

they are pure, stable in air, and water soluble (Brubaker, 2018). The data gathered

during titration was used to solve for the concentration of NaOH. In determining the

acid content of vinegar, the NaOH solution was used as the standard.

b. Discuss results obtained

During titration and when the endpoint was reached, the concentration of the acid

multiplied by the volume of the acid is equal to the concentration of the base multiplied

by the volume of the base (Gillespie, 2018). With the data gathered, the molarity of

NaOH was obtained. The molarity of the NaOH in the three trials were 0.12105501M,

and 0.117332584M, with an average of 0.119193797M, standard deviation of

0.002632153, and a relative standard deviation of 2.208296732.

The same process was used in determining the acid content of vinegar and was later

expressed in percent (w/v). The percentages of each trial was 4.424125697%,

4.395490579%, and 4.409808138% respectively. Their average percent was

4.409808138% with a standard deviation of 0.014317559 and a relative standard

deviation of 0.324675325.

c. Patterns

The amount of primary needed to standardize a solution of unknown concentration

depends on the strength of the acid or base (Acid-base Titration Curves, n.d.). Titration

involving strong acids and strong bases have a neutral pH at equivalence point, while

titrations involving weak acids or weak bases result to basic or acidic at equivalence

point.

Summary and Conclusion

Vinegar is an essential and valuable household item. Acetic acid is an important

ingredient in making vinegars. The Philippines require vinegar content to be about 4%

acetic acid. The concentration of acetic acid in the vinegar used in the experiment was

obtained by using titration, with a standard solution of NaOH.

Titration is a technique/process where a solution of known concentration is used to

determine the concentration of an unknown solution. Typically, the titrant (the know

solution) from a buret is added to a known quantity of the analyte (the unknown

solution) until the reaction is complete. Knowing the volume of titrant added allows the

determination of the concentration of the unknown. Often, an indicator is used to

usually signal the end of the reaction, the endpoint, which is indicated by a change of

color.
IV. References

A+ Essay Examples, Research Papers and Topics. (2013). Retrieved from

http://www.studymode.com/essays/Fda-Vinegar- Chemistry-1225-Lab-

1821067.html.

Acid-base Titration Curves. (n.d.). Retrieved from Khan Academy:

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/chemical-processes/titrations-

and-solubility-equilibria/a/acid-base-titration-curves

Brown, W. H. (2018, September 26). Acetic Acid. Retrieved from Encyclopædia

Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/science/acetic-acid

Brubaker, J. (2018, May 23). Four Characteristics of a Primary Standard. Retrieved

from Sciencing: https://sciencing.com/four-characteristics-primary-standard-

substance-8304038.html

Gillespie, C. (2018, April 11). How to Do Titration Calculations. Retrieved from

Sciencing: https://sciencing.com/calculate-titration-5328453.html

Mercola, J. (2014, June 14). Functional Health Properties of Vinegar. Retrieved from

Mercola:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/14/vinegar-health-

properties.aspx

Titration. (2017, October 6). Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/science/titration
Appendices:

Figure 1 Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2

Preparation of 0.1 M Solution Sodium Hydroxide

Figure 2 Figure 2.1

Standardization of Sodium Hydroxide Solution with Potassium Acid

Phthalate
Figure 3

Figure 3.1

Figure 3.3

Figure 3.2

Determining the Acid Content of Vinegar