CHE 101L

General Chemistry Lab

Experiment 2
Analyzing the Percentage of Acid in Vinegar

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 Acid-Base Titration
Vinegar is a common household chemical that can be used as salad-dressing and to season other
dishes. It is composed primarily of water with a small percentage of acetic acid (CH3COOH) and
other trace chemicals dissolved in it. It is the acetic acid that gives vinegar its characteristic sour
taste and odor. Although the amount of acetic acid in vinegar is usually about 5–20% by mass, a
sample containing a lower percentage of acid can also be found.

Titration is a common analytical method that can be used to measure the amount of substance in
a solution by making it react with another solution of
known concentration. For our acid-base titration
experiments, we will take the base in the burette and titrate
it against a weak acid in the Erlenmeyer flask (see Figure
1). We will carry out two titrations today:
1) In Part I, we will titrate a weak acid in the form of
potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP in short) of known
concentration against a strong base called sodium hydroxide
(NaOH). This will allow us to calculate the exact
concentration (or molarity) of NaOH(aq). Figure 1

2) In Part II, we will titrate a sample of vinegar that contains acetic acid (CH3COOH) against the
same NaOH(aq) solution used in Part I. As we now know the exact concentration of NaOH(aq)
from Part I, we can use that information to calculate the percentage by mass of acetic acid in the
vinegar sample.

Part I: Standardizing the NaOH(aq) solution

Determining the exact concentration of a solution can also be described as “standardizing” the
solution. Potassium hydrogen phthalate (see Figure 2) is an
acidic salt that produces a weak acid called hydrogen
phthalate (HP in short). Similar to any common acid-base
neutralization reaction, KHP reacts with NaOH to
produce an NaKP salt and water according to the following
balanced chemical equation: Figure 2

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 KHP(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaKP(aq) + H2O(l) (1)
Since both K+ and Na+ ions remain as spectator ions in the solution, the net ionic equation for the
above reaction can be expressed as:
HP−(aq) + OH−(aq) → P2−(aq) + H2O(l) (2)
Both Equations 1 and 2 indicate that the mole ratio of KHP to NaOH is 1:1. Consequently, if the
molarity (MA) and the volume (VA) of the KHP solution are known, we can determine the exact
molarity (MB) of the NaOH solution provided that we obtain the volume (VB) of NaOH solution
from our titration experiment first. Thus, MB can be calculated using:
MA ×VA MB ×VB
= (3)
nA nB
in which nA and nB are the stoichiometric coefficients of the acid and the base, respectively.
According to the balanced chemical Equation (1), both nA and nB are equal to 1.

Procedure
1. To properly clean your burette, first put some distilled water in it and gently roll it around
before draining the water down through the bottom by opening the stopcock. Then rinse it
following the same procedure with a small amount of NaOH in it. Discard the used water and
NaOH by draining them down the sink.
2. Next fill the buret with NaOH to the 0.00 mL mark. It is okay if you do not make it exactly to
the 0.00 mL level. Now open the stopcock and allow some of the liquid to be released. This
eliminates any bubble at the tip which can cause error in your data.
3. Now record the initial burette reading to 2 decimal places. Make sure you look at the lower
meniscus while you are taking your reading.
4. Using the burette provided, carefully pour 20.00 mL of 0.20M KHP solution into a 250 mL
Erlenmeyer flask. Then add 3 to 4 drops of phenolphthalein indicator in the flask.
5. Now titrate your KHP solution with the NaOH solution. Make sure to continuously and gently
swirl your flask to ensure proper mixing. You will see a pink color as you add NaOH to the
flask, but the color will quickly disappear as the flask is gently swirled. Keep adding NaOH
until a faint pink color persists. This indicates that the endpoint is reached and you can take
the final reading from the burette. The difference between the initial and the final burette
readings will give you the volume of NaOH that is needed for the complete neutralization of
the acid.

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6. On your first attempt at performing the titration, you may find you have passed the endpoint
and now have a deep pink color instead of a faint pink. This is okay since you will not consider
this first trial run in your calculations. This trial run gives you an approximation of how much
NaOH needs to be added to the acid to reach the endpoint. In your Trial 2 and Trial 3, you can
add NaOH more carefully as you get closer to the correct volume needed for the titration to be
complete. It is important to note that Trial 2 and Trial 3 should not differ by more than 0.50
mL (i.e. 10 drops) from each other.
7. Repeat steps 1 to 5 two more times, i.e. you will do a total of three trials.

Data Sheet and Calculations (2 pts)

Trial 1
Trial 2 Trial 3
(Approximation)
Final burette reading
of NaOH (mL) __________ __________ __________

Initial burette reading

of NaOH (mL) __________ __________ __________

Volume of NaOH
added (mL) __________ __________ __________

Using the average volume of NaOH from Trials 2 and 3 above, calculate the concentration (or
molarity) of the NaOH solution. Show your calculations below. (3 pts)

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 Part II: Determining the Percentage Mass of Acetic Acid in a
Vinegar Sample
The equation describing the reaction of acetic acid (CH3COOH) with NaOH is given by:
CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) → CH3COONa(aq) + H2O(l) (4)
You will be titrating the acetic acid in a vinegar sample with the same NaOH you used in Part I.
Then you will calculate the percentage of acetic acid in the sample. We will use 20.00 mL of
vinegar for each trial, and the density of vinegar can be considered as 1.00g/mL for simplicity.

Procedure
We will follow the exact same procedure as in Part I titration experiment, of course with vinegar
in the Erlenmeyer flask this time instead of KHP.

Data Sheet and Calculations (5 pts)

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

(Approximation)

Mass of vinegar (g) __________ __________ __________

Final burette reading of

NaOH (mL) __________ __________ __________

Initial burette reading of

NaOH (mL) __________ __________ __________

Volume of NaOH added

(mL) __________ __________ __________

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Using the average volume of NaOH from Trials 2 and 3 above, find the percentage mass of acetic
acid in the vinegar sample. Show your calculations below. (10 pts)

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 Post-Lab Question
1. Write a balanced equation describing the reaction between barium hydroxide, Ba(OH)2, and
phosphoric acid, H3PO4. Make sure you include the state symbols. (1 pt)

2. A 75.0g sample of liquid contains 17.5% by mass of H3PO4 (molar mass = 98.0g/mol). If
215.0mL of Ba(OH)2 is needed to completely neutralize the acid, determine the concentration
(or molarity) of the Ba(OH)2 solution used. (4 pts)

(Total: 25 points)