Olympiads: G11 Chemistry Name: ________________________

G11 Chemistry: Class 13 Titration

Adapted from Explore Learning Gizmos:

https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&resourceID=1045

Prior Knowledge

There are several definitions of acids and bases. According to the Brønsted-Lowry definition, an
acid is a substance that is capable of donating a proton to another substance. A base is a
substance that accepts protons. When an acid and a base are combined, the acid is neutralized
as the base accepts the protons produced by the acid.

A pH indicator is a substance that changes color depending on its pH (pH or “power of

hydrogen” is a measure of the concentration of protons, or H+ ions).

When strong acids and strong bases dissociate in water, they dissociate completely into ions.
For example, HCl (aq) is a strong acid that dissociates into H+ and Cl-, NaOH (aq) is a strong base
that dissociates into Na+ and OH-.

Common strong acids include: HI(aq), HBr(aq), HCl(aq), HClO4(aq), H2SO4(aq), HNO3(aq)
Common strong bases include: NaOH (aq), KOH(aq), Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2(aq)

On the other hand, weak acids and weak bases do not dissociate completely in water. For
example, only a small amount of acetic acid CH3COOH (aq) will dissociate into CH3COO- and H+
ions.

A titration can be used to determine the concentration of an acid or base by measuring the
amount of a solution with a known concentration, called the titrant, which reacts completely
with a solution of unknown concentration, called the analyte. The point at which this occurs is
called the equivalence point.

A titration curve is a graph of pH vs. volume of

titrant added. Notice that the equivalence point
is in the middle of the steepest part of the Endpoint
curve.

Note that endpoint and equivalence point are

different. Endpoint is when the indicator color
changes and the titrant is stopped. It usually
occurs after the equivalence point. Volume of Titrant Added

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Olympiads: G11 Chemistry Name: ________________________

Purpose

To determine how close the laboratory results are to the concentration on the label of brand
name vinegar (5% v/v).

Pre-Lab Questions

1. What is the color of phenolphthalein in acidic solution? ________________________

2. What is the color of phenolphthalein in basic solution? ________________________

3. Write the balanced net ionic equation for the neutralization reaction between acetic
acid CH3COOH(aq) and NaOH(aq):

4. What is [OH-] if [NaOH] is 1.00M? __________________________________________

5. What is [H+] if [NaOH] is 1.00M? __________________________________________

Procedure

1. Pipette 100mL of CH3COOH (aq) into an Erlenmeyer flask.

2. Add 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein and a magnetic stirrer into the Erlenmeyer flask.

3. Rinse burette thoroughly three times with 1.0M NaOH(aq).

4. Fill burette to the 0ml mark with 1.0M NaOH(aq). Record the initial volume.

5. Open the stopcock on the burette and add the titrant in a steady flow until a light pink
color begins to appear.

6. Adjust the stopcock so that the titrant is added dropwise and stop the titrant once a
consistent pink color appears.

7. Record the final volume on the burette.

8. Repeat steps 1-7 for two more trials.

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Olympiads: G11 Chemistry Name: ________________________

Data Collection

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Volume of CH3COOH(aq)

Concentration of NaOH(aq)

Initial Burette Reading (mL)

Final Burette Reading (mL)

Total Volume of NaOH(aq)

Calculations and Results

Find the concentration of CH3COOH (aq) and compare this value with the quoted value of 5%
(v/v) acetic acid. (Density of acetic acid is 1.05 g/mL)

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Olympiads: G11 Chemistry Name: ________________________

Discussion

1. Why is it important to rinse the burette thoroughly with 1.0 M NaOH(aq) before
conducting the experiment?

2. Do your results agree with the quoted concentration on the bottle label of 5% (v/v)? If
not, are there possible discrepancies that can account for the different concentration?

3. What can you do to improve your lab results?

4. How can we use titration in the real world?