Experiment 7 : Investigating the change of volume in the change of

Temperature (T) for acid-base Neutralization.

Introduction:
The neutralization of an acid with a base in aqueous solution is an exothermic
process. The heat transferred in this process can be measured using a calorimeter.
Calorimeters can be complicated and expensive (bomb calorimeters, isothermal
calorimeters, differential scanning calorimeters, etc.) however a simple aqueous
calorimeter can be made from any well insulated cup, such as a styrofoam coffee cup.
In this experiment, we will assume that no heat escapes or is absorbed by the coffee
cup. Making this assumption, the energy transferred to the liquid inside the cup
approximates the total energy released by the reaction. Therefore, the heat of the
calorimeter approximates the heat transferred to the liquid and it is the negative. The
heat evolved by the neutralization reaction is transferred to the solution and can be
measured as a temperature change.

Aim
The aim of this experiment is to study the effect of change of volume in acid-base
neutralization reaction.
Objectives:
1) To determine the maximum temperature obtained during neutralization
2) To determine the optimum acid-base concentration to achieve the maximum
temperature.

Theory

A neutralization reaction is a reaction in which an acid and a base react in an

aqueous solution to produce a salt and water. The aqueous sodium chloride that is
produced in the reaction is called a salt. A salt is an ionic compound composed of a
cation from a base and an anion from an acid. A salt is essentially any ionic
compound that is neither an acid nor a base.

Strong Acid-Strong Base Reactions

When equal amounts of a strong acid such as hydrochloric acid are mixed with a
strong base such as sodium hydroxide, the result is a neutral solution. The products of
the reaction do not have the characteristics of either an acid or a base. Here is the
balanced molecular equation.

Chemical reactions occurring in aqueous solution are more accurately represented

with a net ionic equation. The full ionic equation for the neutralization of hydrochloric
acid by sodium hydroxide is written as follows:
Since the acid and base are both strong, they are fully ionized and so are written as
ions, as is the NaCl formed as a product. The sodium and chloride ions are spectator
ions in the reaction, leaving the following as the net ionic reaction.

All neutralization reactions of a strong acid with a strong base simplify to the net
ionic reaction of hydrogen ion combining with hydroxide ion to produce water.

Apparatus
1.0 M HCl
1.0 M NaOH
Beaker
Insulator
Thermometer
Distilled water
Experimental Procedure:
Caution: Hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide are corrosive and toxic.)

1. Construct a polystyrene-cup calorimeter, as demonstrated by your instructor.

2. Place the acid in the calorimeter and monitor the temperature for 1 min, to
ensure a stable initial temperature.
3. Record the initial temperature.
4. Add the base to the calorimeter, and quickly stir the solution.
5. Monitor the temperature of the solution as it rises and record the maximum
temperature once it begins to drop again.
6. Dispose of the reaction solution by pouring to the container provided and rinse
the stir bar and calorimeter with distilled water.
7. Mix the base/acid as shown in the table below.

Initial
Expt 1.0 M 1.0 M HCl Temperature° Maximum Change in
no NaOH (ml) (ml) C Temperature°C T °C
1 20 100      
2 40 80      
3 60 60      
4 80 40      
5 100 20      
8. Calculate the T for each experiment.

Data and analysis

a) Plot the graph of maximum temperature against NaOH/ HCl concentration.
b) Does doubling the volumes of acid and base in a neutralization reaction double
the amount of heat released? Explain.
c) Analyse the results.
d) Conclusion