EXPERIMENT 4

Potentiometric Determination of Acid Strength

Name: ------------------------------------ St. Id.: ------------------------------------

Section: ---------------------------------- Date: -------------------------------------

Objectives
After performing this experiment students will be able to:
● calculate concentration of individual acid.
● calculate concentration of individual base.
● learn the calculation of end point(graphically) without using indicator.

Experiment
Determine the concentration of the given acid pontentiometrically. You are provided with 0.1 N
sodium hydroxide solution.

Theory

In the experiment today you will be performing a potentiometric titration to determine the unknown
concentrations of two acids. In order to perform this titration you will utilize a pH meter, an instrument
which allows you to directly measure the strength and concentration of an acid.

When a strong monoprotic acid, such as HCl, is dissolved in water it totally ionizes into H + and Cl-
ions. As a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide, is added to the acid solution, the available hydroxide
ions combine with some of the available H+ ions to form water. If we continue to add base and record
the resulting pH, we produce, upon graphing a titration curve similar to that shownNotice that until we
reach the neutralization or end point, the pH of the solution stays nearly constant. We know that pH is a
measure of H+ ion concentration (pH = –log[H+]). Since our strong acid totally ionizes, we have a large
reserve of H+ (actually H3O+) ions available in solution to instantly react with any added base.
Because we have such a large reserve of H+, the addition of a few milliliters of base will cause only a
small change in the total H+ ion concentration. We also know that pH + pOH = 14. Since any
hydroxide ion that is added is immediately neutralized, the pH remains relatively unchanged. Once the
neutralization point is reached, however, the available reserve of H+ ions is depleted. The
concentration of H+ drops dramatically, while the concentration of hydroxide ion increases. This
causes the pH value to rise. The pH value continues to rise until the pH of the base being added is
reached. Once reached, addition of more base has little effect and the pH again becomes relatively
 constant.
Procedure
1.Setup the apparatus as it shown in figure 1.

2.The electrode of pH meter are washed in distilled water, dried with filter paper and washed again
by successive immersions in the 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution.
3.The electrodes are immersed in 25 ml of sodium hydroxide solution contained in a clean beaker.
4.This solution titrated with the 50 ml of 0.05 M acetic acid and the mV recorded after each
addition of titrate, and stirring of the mixture before taking a mV reading.
5.On completion of the experiment the electrode is washed and immersed in distilled water.

6. Then graph is then plotted ∆ (mV) / ∆ (v) vs. volume of acetic acid added Fig.2

Figure1. Setup of Apparatus for Potentiometric Titration

Calculations.
Volume of mV
∆V ∆mV ∆mV/∆V
Acetic Acid
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

40
45

50

55

60
65

70

75

80

85

90

95
100

Figure2. Graph between ∆mV/∆V vs. Volume

Concentration of CH3 COOH
Normality of NaOH = N1 = 0.1 N
Normality of CH3COOH in solution = N3 = ? N
Volume of NaOH used (from graph)( End point 2) = V1 = ml
Volume of CH3COOH used = V3 = 100 ml
Known (NaOH ) : Unknown (CH3COOH)

N1 x V1 = N2 x V2
0.1 x V1 = N2 x 100

N2 = 0.1 x (V1) / 100 = N

Result:-
Exercise

Q.1 What is relationship between potential E and pH?

Q.2 What would be curve shape if we plot a graph between (∆mV/∆V)2 and Volume ?

Q.3 What are important applications of potentiometric titration?

Q.4 What are main precautions of this experiment?