1.

What chemical reactions are involved in the standardization of NaOH and analysis of vinegar
sample?
Standardization of NaOH
KHC8H4O4 (aq) → K+(aq) + HC8H4O4-(aq)
KHC8H4O4 (aq) + NaOH(aq) → KNaC8H4O4(aq) + H2O(l)

Analysis of Vinegar
NaOH(aq) + HC2H3O2(aq) → NaC2H3O2(aq) + H2O(l)

2. Why must CO2-free water be used in this experiment?

NaOH is a solution that is prone to potential contamination by water containing dissolved CO2 (Harvey,
2020). In the reaction:
CO2(aq)+2OH−(aq)→CO32-(aq)+H2O(l)
OH- and CO2 interacts. The CO32-(aq), then is neutralized by the introduction of a proton such as H3O+.
Giving a net reaction of
CO2(aq)+OH−(aq)→HCO3-(aq)
In such reactions involving endpoints within pH 6 to 10, HCO3- consumes some OH- for its neutralization.
This introduces determinate errors in the amounts of OH− actually needed for the reaction to complete.

3. Why must the bottle containing the NaOH solution be tightly stoppered?
A solution like NaOH, like any other solutions, can get contaminated by CO2 in the atmosphere as water
can readily absorb CO2 (Harvey, 2020):
CO2(g)⇌CO2(aq)
Due to this, the solution must be stoppered in order to prevent the NaOH from getting contaminated by
CO2.

4. Why is phenolphthalein used as indicator in this titration experiment? Suggest other possible
indicators for this titration.
Phenolphthalein, being a colorless weak acid, is expected to change color in pH 9.5±1. Unlike other
indicators, it is colorless in its acid form in becomes pink as basic solutions are introduced (Shorb et al,
2020). This gives us a good grasp if our titration is at the endpoint or at the equivalence point. Because if
done with indicators who are both colored in acidic and basic solutions, it will be hard to determine an
exact point to which the titration is completed. Aside from phenolphthalein, thymol blue is a good
candidate for this experiment as it changes from yellow to bluish green in the endpoint, then dark blue
at the equivalence point.

5. Is it possible to use phenolphthalein as indicator in the titration of a strong base with a strong acid?
Explain your answer.
In titrations of strong bases with strong acids, pH change is very large around the equivalence point and
as such produces very noticeable changes in the indicator. Phenolphthalein can still be used is strong
acid-strong base titrations are not critical of the choice of indicator unlike a strong-weak counterpart
(Flowers et al, 2020).
Harvey, D. (2020, August 10). Acid–Base Titrations. Retrieved April 8, 2021, from
https://chem.libretexts.org/@go/page/165344
Moore, Justin Shorb, Xavier Prat-Resina, Tim Wendorff, & Adam Hahn, E. V., John W. (2020, November
6). Indicators. Retrieved April 8, 2021, from https://chem.libretexts.org/@go/page/49692
Flowers, P., Theopold, K., Langley, R. (2020, August 25). Acid-Base Indicators. Retrieved April 8, 2021,
from https://chem.libretexts.org/@go/page/24301