Experiment #3 Preparing and Standardizing a NaOH Solution

I. PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIMENT:

The purpose of this laboratory activity is to prepare a NaOH solution, determine the
concentration of the NaOH solution accurately and precisely, and calculate the % purity of
the original solid NaOH. It will be based on the reaction of NaOH with a known solid acid
where all reactants will be dissolved in water. The titration technique, using phenolphthalein
as an indicator, will be used to obtain the necessary data for this determination.
II. INTRODUCTION
(i) Concentration of solutions:
Although there are many different units of concentration, the most commonly used unit
among chemists is morality (M). Molarity is defined as the number of moles of solute per
1-L of solution. The main advantage of molarity as a unit of concentration is therefore the
ease with which measurements of the volume of a solution can be combined with the molarity
to determine the number of moles of the solute that are present to take part in a chemical
reaction.
(ii) Standardization:
The process of using a known amount of one reagent to determine the concentration of
another reagent is known as standardization.
(iii) Acid-Base Titration and End Point
Reactions between acids and bases that are dissolved in water occur almost instantaneously:
they occur as fast as the two solutions can be mixed. These reactions also tend to go to
completion: react until the entire limiting reagent is consumed. When exact stoichiometric
amounts of acid and base have been mixed, the reaction is said to have reached the
equivalence point. Essentially all of the acid has reacted with the base, and vice versa. An
Indicator is used to determine when an acid has exactly neutralized a base , or vice versa. A
suitable indicator changes colours when equivalent amounts of acid and base are present.The
colour change is termed the end point of the titartion.
(iv) Titration
The technique of slowly adding an acid to a base or vice versa-until the reaction has reached
the equivalence point is known as titration.

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The key to observing the equivalence point of a titration is the use of an indicator to indicate
when the equivalence point of the reaction has been reached. Indicators take many forms. The
most familiar indicators are litmus and phenolphthalein. Litmus is a vegetable dye that is red
in acid and blue in base. Phenolphthalein is colorless in acid and pink in base. In practice,
each indicator has an endpoint-at which it turns color-that might be slightly different from the
equivalence point of the reaction. Titrations that use phenolphthalein as the indicator, for
example, should be stopped just before the solution turns a permanent pink color.
III.EXPERIMENTAL
3.1 Chemicals: NaOH pellets, Oxalic acid dihydrate (H2C2O4.2H2O),
Phenolphthalein indicator
3.2 Equipment: Burette, Pipette, Conical flask (Erlenmeyer flask), Pipette bulb,
Beakers, Burette stand, clamp etc.
3.3Procedure:
3.3.1 Preparation of approximately NaOH 0.1 M solution
Weigh 2 g of NaOH pellets in a clean, preweighed 100-mL beaker on a balance. Put
250 mL of distilled water into a clean 500 mL volumetric flask. Add the NaOH pellets
completely. When the NaOH has dissolved completely add another 250 mL of
distilled water up to the marking. Mix thoroughly.
3.3.2 Standardization of NaOH solution using diprotic acid (oxalic acid) or
(Succinic acid)
Place the standard oxalic acid solution 0.025 M in the burette. Transfer 10 mL of the
NaOH solution into a 125 mL conical flask with the aid of a pipette, add 1-2 drops of
phenolphthalein indicator and titrate with the standard oxalic acid. Repeat the titration
until duplicate determinations agree within 0.05mL of each other. (If three titrations
do not result in the desired precision, it will be necessary to conduct additional
titration.)
Record all the titration volume in the table and calculate (i) Molarity of prepared
NaOH solution, (ii) Molarity of standardized NaOH solution (iii) moles of NaOH in
500mL, (iv) mass of NaOH in 500mL (v) % Purity of NaOH (s)

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IV. RESULTS and DISCUSSIONS
(i) Molarity of prepared NaOH solution……….M
(ii) Molarity of standardized NaOH solution……….M
(iii) Moles of NaOH in 500mL………..mol
(iv) Mass of NaOH in 500 mL…………g
(v) % Purity of NaOH(s)……………..%

Discuss: How do your values compare with the 0.1M NaOH solutions that you were
supposed to prepare?
Record the molarity of NaOH and % purity of solid NaOH obtained by your friend from the
same table. Do your friend’s values agree with yours? Should they/ if they don’t, why not?

V. CONCLUSION
The molarity of standardized NaOH solution and % purity of the solid NaOH was
determined to be ………..M and …………….%.

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Calculation:
# 1..Calculation of Molarity of prepared NaOH solution
Mass of empty watch glass = g
Mass of watch glass + NaOH pellets= g
Mass of NaOH pellets= g
volume of solution = 500mL
molar mass of NaOH = 40.00 g/mol
( B − A) g
mole of NaOH = = Xmol
40.00 g / mol
X mol
(i ) Molarity of prepared NaOH ( M ) =
(500 / 1000) L
# 2. Calculation of Molarity of standardized NaOH solution
1st Titration.
10 mL of NaOH solution ≡ A mL of Standard Oxalic acid solution 0.025M
Indicator = Phenolphthalein
No. Initial volume / mL Final volume / mL Difference / mL
Rough
Fine 1.
2.
3.
4.

Mean = A mL
Calculation
Sodium Hydroxide + Oxalic Acid Sodium Oxalate + Water
2NaOH(aq) + H2C2O4 (aq) Na2C2O4(aq) + 2 H2O(l)

Mole Ratio of NaOH: H2C2O4 = 2:1

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 molesofNaOH 2 MNaOH .VNaOH
= =
molesofH2 C2 O4 1 MH C O .VH C O
2 2 4 2 2 4

MNaOHVNaOH = 2MH C O VH C O
2 2 4 2 2 4
2MH C O VH C O
MNaOH = 2 2 4 2 2 4
VNaOH
2x0.05M x AmL
(i)MNaOH = =" X" M
10mL
mol X
moles of NaOH in 500mL = X x500mL = mol
1000mL 2

(ii)
X 40 g
mass ⋅ of ⋅ NaOH ⋅ in ⋅ 500mL = mol ⋅ x ⋅ = 20 X ⋅ g
2 mol
40 g
( MolarMassofNaOH = )
mol

pure.mass (calculated ⋅ from ⋅ titration )

(iii) % purity = x100
impure ⋅ mass( weighted ⋅ amount ⋅ for ⋅ preparation)

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