DETERMINATION OF

ACETIC ACID IN VINEGAR

BY TITRATION
By- Aditya Sarkar

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

CLASS-XII SCI B
DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL JOKA SOUTH KOLKATA
 Contents
Abstract / Summary...........................................................................................................................2
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................3
Aim / Objective.................................................................................................................................3
Theory................................................................................................................................................4
Procedure.........................................................................................................................................10
Apparatus.........................................................................................................................................11
Result...............................................................................................................................................12
Calculations.....................................................................................................................................15
Calculation of error..........................................................................................................................22
Discussions......................................................................................................................................23
Conclusions.....................................................................................................................................24
Recommendations...........................................................................................................................24
References.......................................................................................................................................24
Appendices......................................................................................................................................25

Page | 1
 Abstract / Summary

Acetic acid, CH3COOH is an organic compound that is in form of colourless

solution and it is a weak acid. This acid is the main component of vinegar apart
from water. In this experiment the molarity of a solution and the percent by mass of
acetic acid in vinegar is determined by using titration with a standardized sodium
hydroxide, NaOH solution.

The purposes of this experiment are to determine the morality of a solution

and the percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar by titration with the
standardization sodium hydroxide solution.

The theoretical value for molarity of sodium hydroxide is 0.60M. Meanwhile, the
experimental value for molarity of sodium hydroxide is 0.7036M. Therefore, the
percentage error for molarity of NaOH is 17.27%.

The molarity of acetic acid in vinegar for the titration 1 is same with titration 2
which is 0.668M. Since titration 1 and titration 2 have same value for molarity,
therefore the mass also will be same which the value is 0.4008g. In addition, the
percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar is 4.008%.

Overall, it we can conclude that the greater the mass of solute in the acid
solution, the more concentrated the solution becomes. Thus, the higher the
molarity and more volume of NaOH needed to neutralize the acid. The experiment
is completed and successfully conducted.

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 Introduction
Concentration of solution is the amount of solute in a given amount of solvent. A
concentrated solution contains relatively large quantity of solute in a given
amount of solvent. Dilute solutions contain relatively little solute in a given
amount of solvent. There are 2 specifics term to express concentration, which is
molarity and percent by mass.

Molarity is the number of moles of solute per litre of solution.

moles of solute
Molarity ( M )=
litre of solution
(Equation 1-1)

Percent by mass is the mass in grams of solute per 100 grams of solution

grams of solute
Percent solute= x 100 %
grams of solution
(Equation 1-2)

Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid. The molecular formula for acetic acid
is CH3COOH. Both molarity and percent by mass of acetic acid in a vinegar
solution can be determine by performing a titration. A titration is a process in
which small increments of a solution of known concentration are added to a
specific volume of a solution of unknown concentration until the stoichiometry
for that reaction is attained. Knowing the quantity of the known solution required
to complete the titration, calculation of the unknown solution can be done. The
purpose of titration is to determine the equivalence point of the reaction. The
equivalence point is reach when the added quantity of one reactant is the exact
amount necessary for stoichiometric reaction with another reactant.

Aim / Objective

(a) Determination the morality of a solution and the percent by mass of acetic acid
in vinegar by titration with the standardization sodium hydroxide solution.

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 Theory

In the titration process, a burette is used to dispense a small, quantifiable increment

of solution of known concentration (Figure 1.1). A typical burette has the smallest
calibration unit of 0.1mL (Figure 1.2), therefore, volume dispense from the burette
should be estimated to the nearest 0.01mL .

Figure 1-1: a) Depicts a typical 50-mL burette. b) Indicates smallest calibration

unit, 0.1mL, on a typical 50 mL burette

In this experiment, the equivalence point occurs when the moles of acid in the
solution equals to the moles of base added in the titration. For example, the
stoichiometric amount of 1 mole of the strong base, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is
necessary to neutralize 1 mole of the weak acid, acetic acid (CH 3CO2H), as
indicated in equation 3.

NaOH (aq) + CH3CO2H(aq) → NaCH3CO2 (aq) + H2O (l)

(Equation 1-3)

The sudden change in the pH of the solution shows that the titration has reached
the equivalence point. pH in an aqueous solution is related to its hydrogen ion
concentration. Symbolically, the hydrogen ion concentration is written as [H 3O+].
pH is defined as the negative of the logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration.

Page | 4
 pH = - log [H30+]
(Equation 1-4)

pH scale is a method of expressing the acidity or basicity of a solution. Solutions

having a pH < 7 are acidic, pH = 7 are neutral, pH > 7 are basic. For example, a
solution having [H30+] = 2.35 x 10-2 M would have a pH of 1.629 and is acidic. Ph
electrode will be used in this experiment. The titration is initiated by inserting a pH
electrode into a beaker containing the acid solution (pH within 3-5). As sodium
hydroxide, NaOH, is incrementally added to the acid solution, some of the
hydrogen ions will be neutralized. As the hydrogen ion concentration decreases,
the pH of the solution will gradually increase. When sufficient NaOH is added to
completely neutralize the acid (most of the H3O+ ions are removed from the
solution), the next drop of NaOH added will cause a sudden sharp increase in pH
(figure 2-2). The volume of based required to completely neutralized the acid is
determine at the equivalence point of titration.

Figure 1-2: Acid-base titration curve of weak acid titrated with NaOH.

In this experiment, titration of vinegar sample with a standardized sodium

hydroxide solution will be done. To standardize the sodium hydroxide solution, of a
primary standard acid solution is initially prepared. In general, primary standard
solutions are produce by dissolving a weighed quantity of pure acid or base in a
known volume of solution. Primary standard acid or bases have several common
characteristics:

 they must be available in at least 99.9 purity

Page | 5
  they must have a high molar mass to minimize error in weighing
 they must be stable upon heating
 they must be soluble in the solvent of interest

Potassium hydrogen phthalate KHC 8H4O4, and oxalic acid, (COOH) 2, are common
primary standard acid. Sodium carbonate, Na 2CO3, is the most commonly used
based. Most acids and bases (e.g. HCl, CH 3COOH, NaOH, and KOH) are most
available as primary standard. To standardize one of these acid or based
solutions, titration of the solution with a primary standard should be done. In this
experiment, NaOH solution will be titrated with potassium hydrogen phthalate
(KHP). The equation for this reaction will be:

KHC8H4O4 (aq) + NaOH (aq) → KNaC8H4O4 (aq) + H2O (l)

(Equation 1-5)

Once the sodium hydroxide solution has been standardizes, it will be used to titrate
10.00mL aliquots of vinegar. The equation for the reaction of vinegar with NaOH is

CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCH3COO (aq) + H2O(l)

(Equation 1-6)

Knowing the standardized NaOH concentration and using equation 6, we can

determine the molarity and percent by mass of acetic acid in the vinegar solution.

Sample calculation for standardizing a based with KHP

Figure 3 depicts the titration curve of 1.523 grams of KHP dissolved in20.0mL of
distilled water titrated with NaOH. Determine the molarity of the NaOH solution.

Page | 6
 Figure 1-3: titration curve of KHP with NaOH. The volume of NaOH used at the
equivalence point is 15.3 mL of NaOH.

 Calculate the moles of KHP used in the titration.

1 mol KHC 8 H 4 O 4
1.523 g KHC8 H 4 O4 × =0.007458mol KHC8 H 4 O4
204.2 g KHC 8 H 4 O 4

 From equation 1-5, calculate the moles of NaOH required neutralizing the moles
of KHP.

1 mol NaOH
0.007458 mol KHP × =0.007458 mol NaOH
1 mol KHP

 Calculate the molarity of the NaOH solution.

1L
15.30 ml NaOH × =0.01530 L NaOH
1000 ml

mol NaOH 0.007458 mol NaOH 0.04875 mol NaOH

M= = = =0.4875 M NaOH
L of solution 0.01530 L solution L solution

Sample calculations for determining the acetic acid concentration in vinegar by

titration with standard base.

A 10.00 mL aliquot of vinegar requires 16.95 mL of the 0.4875 M standardized

NaOH solution to reach the equivalence point of the titration. Calculate the molarity
and the percent by mass of CH 3COOH in the solution. Assume the density of the
vinegar solution is 1.0g/mL.

Sample calculations for determining the acetic acid concentration in vinegar by

titration with standard base

Page | 7
A 10.00 mL aliquot of vinegar requires 16.95 mL of the 0.4875 M standardized
NaOH solution to reach the equivalence point of the titration. Calculate the molarity
and the percent by mass of CH3COOH in the solution. Assume the density of the
vinegar solution is 1.00g/mL.

• Calculate the moles of NaOH that reacted.

1L
16.95 mL NaOH × =0.01695 L NaOH
1000 mL

0.4875mol NaOH
0.01695 L NaOH × =0.008263 mol NaOH
1 L NaOH solution

 Calculate the moles of CH3COOH neutralized by the moles of NaOH.

1mol CH 3 COOH
0.008263 mol NaOH × =0.008263 mol NaOH
1mol NaOH

 Calculate the molarity of the CH3COOH solution

1L
10 mL CH 3 COOH × =0.010 LCH 3 COOH solution
1000 mL

mol CH 3 COOH 0.008263mol CH 3 COOH 0.8263 mol CH 3 COOH

M= = = =0.8263 M CH 3 COOH
L of solution 0.01 L solution L solution

 Calculate the mass of acetic acid in the solution.

1L
10 mL CH 3 COOH × =0.010 LCH 3 COOH solution
1000 mL

0.8263 mol CH 3 COOH 60.06 gCH 3COOH

0.01 LCH 3COOH × × =0.4963 gCH 3 COOH
1 L solution 1 molCH 3 COOH

 Calculate the mass of the acetic acid solution.

1 g CH 3 COOH solution
10 mLCH 3COOH solution × =10.00 g CH 3COOH solution
1mL CH 3COOH solution

 Calculate the percent by mass of acetic acid in the solution.

Page | 8
 g CH 3 COOH
percent mass CH 3 COOH = ×100 %
g CH 3COOH solution

0.4693 g CH 3 COOH
percent mass CH 3 COOH = ×100 %=1.963 % CH 3COOH
10.00 g CH 3 COOH solution

Page | 9
 Procedure

Part A: Standardization of sodium hydroxide solution.

1. 250 mL of approximately 0.6M sodium hydroxide solution from NaOH solid

should been prepared in a beaker. The calculation has been recorded.
2. A 250 mL beaker is weighed and the mass was recorded to the nearest
0.001g. 1.5g of KHP was added into a 250 mL beaker. The mass of the
beaker and KHP was recorded to the nearest 0.001g. The mass of KHP by
difference was calculated and the data was recorded. 30mL of distilled water
to the beaker were added and stirred the solution until KHP has dissolved
completely.
3. This solution was titrated with NaOH and with every 1mL additions of NaOH
solution, the pH was recorded.
4. Steps 1 to 3 was repeated to perform a second trial to standardized the
NaOH solution.
5. The graph of pH versus NaOH was plotted. From the plots, the volume of
NaOH required neutralizing the KHP solution in each titration had been
determined.
6. The molarity of sodium hydroxide has been calculated for titration 1 and 2.
7. The average molarity of sodium hydroxide solution for titration 1 and 2 was
calculated. The resulting sodium hydroxide concentration will be used in Part
B of the experiment.

Part B: Molarity of acetic acid and percent of vinegar.

1. 10.00mL of vinegar transferred to a clean, dry 250mL beaker using a 10mL

volumetric pipette. A sufficient water, 75 to 100 mL were added to cover the
pH electrode tip during the titration.
2. 1mL of NaOH was added to the vinegar solution and the pH was recorded.
3. Steps 1 and 2 was repeated one more.
4. The graph of pH versus volume NaOH added was plotted. From the plots, the
volume of NaOH required to neutralized vinegar in each titration has been
determined. Data has been recorded.
5. Molarity of acetic acid in vinegar was calculated for titration 1 and 2.
6. The average molarity of acetic acid for each titration has been calculated.
7. The percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar was calculated for titration 1
and 2.
8. The percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar was calculated.

Page | 10
 Apparatus
List of apparatus:

1. 250mL beaker
2. High precision analytical weighing balance
3. pH electrode
4. Burettes
5. Retort stand
6. Funnels
7. Measuring cylinder
8. Magnetic stirrer
9. Volumetric pipette
List of materials:

1. Distilled water
2. 0.6M sodium hydroxide(NaOH) solution
3. Potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) solid
4. Vinegar

Page | 11
 Result

Part A: Standardization of sodium hydroxide solution

Titration 1 2

Mass of beaker (g) 112.267 112.403

Mass of beaker + KHP (g) 113.887 113.889

Mass of KHP (g) 1.503 1.507

Volume of NaOH to neutralize 11.0 11.0

the KHP solution (mL)

Page | 12
 pH
Volume of NaOH
added (mL) Titration 1 Titration 2

0.00 4.80 4.48

1.00 5.06 4.72

2.00 5.18 4.92

3.00 5.34 5.02

4.00 5.38 5.21

5.00 5.60 5.33

6.00 5.66 5.48

7.00 5.77 5.62

8.00 6.01 5.80

9.00 6.02 6.02

10.00 6.83 6.44

11.00 12.47 11.89

12.00 12.70 12.45

13.00 12.67 12.64

Page | 13
Part B: Molarity of acetic acid and percent of vinegar

pH
Volume of NaOH
added (mL) Titration 1 Titration 2

0.00 3.03 3.04

1.00 3.70 3.86

2.00 4.10 3.99

3.00 4.35 4.44

4.00 4.56 4.61

5.00 4.78 4.84

6.00 4.98 5.03

7.00 5.22 5.26

8.00 5.56 5.61

9.00 6.41 6.95

10.00 11.60 11.60

11.00 11.88 11.87

12.00 12.00 12.04

Page | 14
 Calculations
Part A: Standardization of sodium hydroxide solution.

Titration KHP with NaOH solution

14

12 Equivalence point: pH=9.65, 10.50mL

10

8
pH

6 Equivalence point: pH=9.15, 10.45mL

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Volume of NaOH added (mL)

titration1 titration2

 Molarity of sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

no of mol of NaOH (mol)

Molarity ( M )=
Volume of NaOH solution (L)

mass (g)
No of mol(mol )=
g
molar mass ( )
mol

 Titration 1

Moles of KHP (mol) used:

Molar mass KHP (KHC8H4O4) = [(39.09) +1+ (12x8) +4+ (16x4)] = 204.2 g/mol

1.503 g
=0.0073604 mol KHC 8 H 4 O 4
204.2 g /mol

Page | 15
 KHC8H4O4 (aq) + NaOH (aq) → KNaC8H4O4 (aq) + H2O (l) (Equation 1-
5)

From equation (1-5),

1 mol of KHC 8 H 4 O 4=1 mol NaOH

0.0073604 mol of KHC 8 H 4 O 4=0.0073604 mol of NaOH

Volume of solution (L) :

1L
10.50 mL NaOH × =0.01050 L NaOH
1000 mL

Molarity of NaOH :

0.0073604 mol
M= =0.7010 M of NaOH
0.01050 L

 Titration 2

Moles of KHP (mol) used:

Molar mass KHP (KHC8H4O4) = [(39.09)+1+(12x8)+4+(16x4)] = 204.2 g/mol

1.507 g
=0.007380 mol KHC 8 H 4 O 4
204.2 g /mol

KHC8H4O4 (aq) + NaOH (aq) → KNaC8H4O4 (aq) + H2O (l) (Equation 1-

5)

From equation (1-5),

1 mol of KHC 8 H 4 O 4=1 mol NaOH

0.007380 mol of KHC 8 H 4 O 4=0.007380 mol of NaOH

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 Volume of solution (L) :

1L
10.45 mL NaOH × =0.01045 L NaOH
1000 mL

Molarity of NaOH :

0.007380 mol
M= =0.7062 M of NaOH
0.01045 L

 Average molarity of sodium hydroxide solution

( molarity of NaOH ∈titration 1 ) +(molarity of NaOH ∈titration 2)
Average molarity of NaOH=
2

0.7010+0.7062
Average molarity of NaOH= =0.7036 M
2

Part B: Molarity of acetic acid and percent of vinegar.

Titrate vinegar with NaOH solution

14

12
Equivalence point-2: pH=9.00, 9.50mL

10

8
pH

Equivalence point-1: pH=9.28, 9.50mL

6

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Volume of NaOH added(mL)

titration1 titration2

Page | 17
 Molarity of acetic acid (CH3COOH) in vinegar.

no of mol of solute (mol)

Molarity ( M )=
Volume of solution(L)

mass (g)
No of mol(mol )=
g
molar mass ( )
mol

 Titration 1

Molarity of NaOH solution (Part A): 0.7036 M

-Moles of NaOH reacted:

 Volume of solution (L) :

1L
9.50 mL NaOH × =0.00950 L NaOH
1000 mL

 No of mol of NaOH (mol) :

0.7036 mol of NaOH
0.0095 L NaOH × =0.00668 mol NaOH
1 L solutionog NaOH

-Moles of CH3COOH neutralized by moles of NaOH :

CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCH3COO (aq) + H2O(l) (Equation 1-

6)

From equation (1-6),

1 mol of NaOH=1 mol of CH 3 COOH

0.00668 mol of NaOH =0.00668 mol of CH 3 COOH

Page | 18
-Molarity of acetic acid(CH3COOH) in vinegar :

 Volume of solution(L) :
1L
10 mL CH 3 COOH × =0.010 LCH 3 COOH solution
1000 mL

 Molarity(M) :
0.00668 mol
M= =0.668 M of NaOH
0.010 L

 Titration 2

Molarity of NaOH solution (Part A): 0.7036 M

-Moles of NaOH reacted:

 Volume of solution (L) :

1L
9.50 mL NaOH × =0.00950 L NaOH
1000 mL

 No of mol of NaOH (mol) :

0.7036 mol of NaOH
0.0095 L NaOH × =0.00668 mol NaOH
1 L solutionog NaOH

Moles of CH3COOH neutralized by moles of NaOH :

CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCH3COO (aq) + H2O(l) (Equation 1-

6)

From equation (1-6),

1 mol of NaOH=1 mol of CH 3 COOH

0.00668 mol of NaOH =0.00668 mol of CH 3 COOH

Page | 19
Molarity of acetic acid(CH3COOH) in vinegar :

 Volume of solution(L) :
1L
10 mL CH 3 COOH × =0.010 LCH 3 COOH solution
1000 mL

 Molarity(M) :
0.00668 mol
M= =0.668 M of NaOH
0.010 L

 Average molarity of acetic acid:

( molarity of CH 3COOH ∈titration 1 ) +( molarity of CH 3 COOH ∈titration 2)
Molarity average CH 3 COOH =
2

0.668+0.668
Molarity average CH 3 COOH = =0.668 M
2

Since,

Molarity of CH3COOH in titration 1= Molarity of CH3COOH in titration 2

therefore,

Mass of acetic acid in titration 1= Mass of acetic acid in titration 2

 Percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar

 Mass of acetic acid in solution:

no mol of CH 3 COOH (mol)
Molarity CH 3COOH (M )=
Volume of solution ( L)

 Volume of solution(L) :
1L
10 mL CH 3 COOH × =0.010 LCH 3 COOH solution
1000 mL

Page | 20
 no mol of CH 3COOH ( mol )=Molarity CH 3 COOH ( M ) ×Volume of solution(L)

no mol of CH 3COOH =0.668 ( molL )× 0.010 L=0.00668 mol

mass (g)
No of mol(mol )=
g
molar mass ( )
mol

Molar mass acetic acid (CH3COOH) = [(12x2)+(1x4)+(16x2)] = 60.0 g/mol

Mass ( g )=no of mol ( mol ) ×molar mass ( molg )

Mass of CH 3 COOH =0.00668 mol ×60.0 ( molg )=0.4008 g of CH 3 COOH
 Assuming the density of the vinegar solution is 1.00g/mL
mass (g)
density ( ρ )=
volume(mL)

Since volume is 10mL,

mass ( g )=density ( ρ ) × volume ( mL )

mass ( g )=1.00 ( mLg ) ×10 mL=10.00 g CH 3 COOH solution

Therefore,

massCH 3 COOH ( g )
Percent mass CH 3 COOH = ×100 %
mass CH 3 COOH solution ( g )

0.4008 g
Percent mass CH 3 COOH = ×100 %=4.008 %
10.00 g

Page | 21
 Calculation of error

 Percentage of error:
|experimental value−theoretical value|
Percentage of error = ×100 %
theoretical value

Part A: Standardization of sodium hydroxide solution

Theoretical value = 0.6M sodium hydroxide solution

0.7036−0.6
Percentage of error = ×100 %=17.27 %
0.6

Page | 22
 Discussions

A titration is a technique where a solution of known concentration is used to

determine the concentration of an unknown solution. Usually known
solution is poured into the burette and titrant to the unknown solution until
the reaction is complete. Knowing the volume of titrant added allows the
determination of the concentration of the unknown. Often, an indicator is
used to usually signal the end of the reaction, the endpoint.

In this experiment, for Part A: Standardization of sodium hydroxide

solution we titrate 0.6M sodium hydroxide solution into KHP solid until it
dissolved completely. This experiment was repeated twice to achieve more
accurate result with less percentage error. Based on graph Titration KHP
with NaOH , we can find out the equivalence point which is at titration 1 we
get pH=9.65 with volume of NaOH added is 10.50mL meanwhile at
titration2, pH=9.15 with volume of NaOH added is 10.45mL. From volume
obtained, molarity of NaOH in titration 1 is 0.7010M and at titration 2 is
0.7062M. The average of molarity of NaOH is 0.7036M. The percentage
error for molarity of NaOH is 17.27%.

For Part B: Molarity of acetic acid and percent of vinegar, based on graph
Titration vinegar with NaOH , we can find out the equivalence point which is at
titration 1 we get pH=9.28 with volume of NaOH added is 9.50mL meanwhile at
titration2, pH=9.00 with volume of NaOH added is 9.50mL. The calculated
molarity of acetic acid in vinegar for the titration 1 is same with titration 2 which is
0.668M. Since titration 1 and titration 2 have same value for molarity, therefore
the mass also will be same which the value is 0.4008g. In addition, the percent
by mass of acetic acid in vinegar is 4.008%.

The percentage error that mentioned earlier is due to a parallax error

occurring during the experiment conducted. The error while doing Part A:
Standardization of sodium hydroxide solution is because the beaker that we
used probably is not fully cleaned. Besides, air bubble at the tip of burette and
eyes is not perpendicular to meniscus might affect the reading of volume NAOH
added. Therefore, before the experiment conducted, we must make sure all the
apparatus use are dry and clean to reduce the percentage of error.

Page | 23
 Conclusions

From the experiment, can be concluded as from the equivalence point based
on the graph, the molarity of sodium hydroxide obtained is 0.7036M. Hence, the
molarity is used to calculate the molarity of acetic acid in vinegar. The molarity of
acetic acid in vinegar is 0.668M. The percent by mass of the acetic acid in
vinegar is 4.008% with the mass of acetic acid is 0.4008g by assuming the
density is 1g/mL.

Recommendations

To get the accurate value of result in the experiment, there are a few
recommendations and precaution that need to be considered through the
experiments.
First, look at the lower meniscus while take the reading and our eyes must be
perpendicular with the meniscus. Usually an air bubble is present in the nozzle of the
burette; it must be removed before taking the initial reading. Make sure all the
apparatus dry and clean before used.
In conclusions, we should wear gloves and goggles while conducting the whole
experiment as a safety precautions step.

Page | 24