CONDUCTOMETRIC

TITRATIONS
Experiment – 5
Conductometric titration of an acid / mixture of acids

Objective:
 To determine the strength of the given acid by titrating it against
a known concentration of alkali solution using a conductometer.

Expected learning outcomes:

After doing the experiment, the students should be able to
 Operate a conductivity meter
 Perform a conductometric titration
 Plot Cond vs volume of titrant(NaOH) to get a ‘V’ graph.
 Read the end point from the graph
 Calibrate the conductivity meter
 Get familiar with the conductivity cell 2
CONDUCTOMETRIC TITRATIONS
 Electroanalytical technique
 Titration in which the electrolytic conductivity of the sample mixture is continuously
monitored during the addition of the reactant

Electric conductivity of an electrolyte depends upon

 Type of ions
 Concentration of ions
 Temperature
 Mobility of ions
EXAMPLES OF CONDUCTOMETRIC TITRATION CURVES
Strong Acid with a Strong Base, e.g. HCl with NaOH

 Before NaOH is added, the conductance is high due to the presence

of highly mobile hydrogen ions.

 When the base is added, the conductance falls due to the

replacement of hydrogen ions by the added cation as H+ ions react
with OH− ions to form undissociated water.

 This decrease in the conductance continues till the equivalence

point.
 At the equivalence point, the solution contains only NaCl.

 After the equivalence point, the conductance increases due to the

large conductivity of OH- ions
EXAMPLES OF CONDUCTOMETRIC TITRATION CURVES
Weak Acid with a Strong Base, e.g. acetic acid with NaOH

 Initially the conductance is low due to the feeble ionization of acetic

acid. On the addition of base, conductance decreases due to the
replacement of H+ by Na+ and also due to the suppression of the
dissociation of acetic acid due to common ion acetate.

 Later the conductance increases on adding NaOH as NaOH neutralizes

the un-dissociated CH3COOH to CH3COONa which is the strong
electrolyte.

 The graph near the equivalence point is curved due the hydrolysis of salt
CH3COONa.

 Beyond the equivalence point, conductance increases more rapidly

 with the addition of NaOH due to the highly conducting OH− ions
CONDUCTIVITY METER
Current source :- Alternative current source is used.

Conductivity meter :- Digital display, calibrator, power switch.

1.Conductivity cell :- Made of pyrex or quartz and are fitted

with two platinum electrodes. Should be placed in vessel
containing water to maintain constant temp.

2.Electrodes :- Platinum sheets each of 1 cm2 are fixed at

distance of 1 cm. The surface is coated with platinum black to
avoid polarization effect & increase effective surface area.
platinisation of electrodes is done by using solutions of 3%
chlorplatinic acid & lead acetate. electrode usage depends on
conductivity & concentration.
Procedure:
Step A: Calibration of the Conductivity Meter:
1. Calibrate the instrument with respect to room temperature
2. Pour about 50 mL 0.1N KCl solution in a 100 mL beaker
3. Immures the conductivity cell, read the conductivity of the solution by the conductivity
meter. The specific conductivity of 0.1N KCl solution is 0.0129 ohm−1cm−1 or 12.9
milisiemens/centimeter
4. Wash the conductivity cell three times with deionized water

Step B: Conductometric Titration (Pilot Titration):

5. Fill the burette with the known concentration of NaOH (0.01N) solution.
6. Pipette out 50 mL of the given HCl (unknown concentration) solution in a 100 mL of beaker
7. Immerged the conductivity cell and read the conductivity value of the solution.
8. Add 1.0 mL base from the burette into the cell, swirl the content and read the stable
conductivity value.
9. Stop further addition of NaOH, if you observe the conductivity value start increasing instead of
decreasing.
10. Note down the burette readings between which the conductivity start increasing instead of decreasing.
Step 3: Conductometric Titration (Final Titration):
11. Get an idea about your approximate end point from the previous experiment
12. Fill the burette with the known concentration of NaOH (0.01N) solution.
13. Pipette out 50 mL of the given HCl (unknown concentration) solution in a 100 mL of beaker
14. Immerged the conductivity cell and read the conductivity value of the solution.
15. Add 0.5 mL base from the burette into the cell, swirl the content and read the stable
conductivity value.
16. Addition of alkali will reduce to 0.1 mL close to the approximate end so that end point can
be identify vividly.
17. After the end point few more point required to have a nice plot
18. Plot the results and identify the end point
19. Calculate the Concentration of given unknown acid solution.

8
Observations:
Three tables have given for three different concentrations.
Table 1. Unknown concentration HCl solution (A)
S Volume of alkali Conductivity S Volume of alkali Conductivity S Volume of alkali Conductivity
No (mL) (mho) No (mL) (mho) No (mL) (mho)
1 0 2.9 18 4.1 0.87 35 5.8 1.44
2 0.5 2.8 19 4.2 0.90 36 5.9 1.50
3 1.0 2.6 20 4.3 0.94 37 6.0 1.52
4 1.5 2.3 21 4.4 1.01 38 6.1 1.54
5 2.0 2 22 4.5 1.03 39 6.2 1.55
6 2.5 1.69 23 4.6 1.04 40 6.3 1.57
7 3.0 1.41 24 4.7 1.06 41 6.4 1.61
8 3.1 1.34 25 4.8 1.16 42 6.5 1.67
9 3.2 1.29 26 4.9 1.23 43 7.0 1.94
10 3.3 1.26 27 5.0 1.25 44 7.5 2.2
11 3.4 1.19 28 5.1 1.28 45 8.0 2.4
12 3.5 1.12 29 5.2 1.30 46 8.5 2.5
13 3.6 1.08 30 5.3 1.33 47 9.0 2.7
14 3.7 1.02 31 5.4 1.35 48 9.5 2.9
15 3.8 0.96 32 5.5 1.37 49 10 3.1
16 3.9 0.91 33 5.6 1.39
17 4.0 0.87 34 5.7 1.42
Table 2. Unknown concentration HCl solution (B)
S Volume of alkali Conductivity S Volume of alkali Conductivity S Volume of alkali Conductivity
No (mL) (mho) No (mL) (mho) No (mL) (mho)
1 0 2.3 18 4.1 1.0 35 5.8 1.65
2 0.5 2.2 19 4.2 1.07 36 5.9 1.68
3 1.0 1.82 20 4.3 1.11 37 6.0 1.72
4 1.5 1.57 21 4.4 1.14 38 6.1 1.76
5 2.0 1.29 22 4.5 1.18 39 6.2 1.79
6 2.5 1.04 23 4.6 1.22 40 6.3 1.83
7 3.0 0.75 24 4.7 1.25 41 6.4 1.87
8 3.1 0.68 25 4.8 1.30 42 6.5 1.89
9 3.2 0.7 26 4.9 1.33 43 7.0 2.1
10 3.3 0.73 27 5.0 1.37 44 7.5 2.2
11 3.4 0.76 28 5.1 1.41 45 8.0 2.4
12 3.5 0.81 29 5.2 1.45 46 8.5 2.6
13 3.6 0.85 30 5.3 1.48 47 9.0 2.8
14 3.7 0.88 31 5.4 1.50 48 9.5 2.9
15 3.8 0.91 32 5.5 1.55 49 10 3.1
16 3.9 0.95 33 5.6 1.58
17 4.0 0.99 34 5.7 1.62
Table 3. Unknown concentration HCl solution (C)
S Volume of alkali Conductivity S Volume of alkali Conductivity S Volume of Conductivity
No (mL) (mho) No (mL) (mho) No alkali (mL) (mho)
1 0 4 18 4.1 1.69 35 5.8 1.36
2 0.5 3.9 19 4.2 1.66 36 5.9 1.38
3 1.0 3.7 20 4.3 1.60 37 6.0 1.42
4 1.5 3.4 21 4.4 1.55 38 6.1 1.61
5 2.0 3 22 4.5 1.50 39 6.2 1.63
6 2.5 2.7 23 4.6 1.43 40 6.3 1.65
7 3.0 2.4 24 4.7 1.37 41 6.4 1.68
8 3.1 2.3 25 4.8 1.34 42 6.5 1.69
9 3.2 2.3 26 4.9 1.28 43 7.0 1.80
10 3.3 2.2 27 5.0 1.22 44 7.5 1.96
11 3.4 2.1 28 5.1 1.16 45 8.0 2.2
12 3.5 2.1 29 5.2 1.14 46 8.5 2.4
13 3.6 2.0 30 5.3 1.17 47 9.0 2.6
14 3.7 1.93 31 5.4 1.21 48 9.5 2.7
15 3.8 1.90 32 5.5 1.23 49 10 2.9
16 3.9 1.81 33 5.6 1.28
17 4.0 1.75 34 5.7 1.31
 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
READ THE LABORATORY MANUAL

http://www.nitc.ac.in/app/webroot/img/upload/S1_B_Tech_Lab_Manual.pdf