Experiment 3

Aim: To determine the adsorption of aqueous acetic acid by activated charcoal and to
study the adsorption isotherm.

Theory:
Refer the slides

Procedure:
1. Take 50,40,30,20 and 10 ml of 0.5N acetic acid in stoppered bottles and label them.
To these, add 0, 10,20,30, and 40 ml of distilled water respectively to make volume
50 ml.
 2. Transfer the 1 gm of activated charcoal to each bottle containing aq. acetic acid

3. Place them in a shaker machine and shake vigorously for about an hr.

4. After the shaking has been done, remove from the machine and allow the solution to
stand for about 30 minutes to attain room temperature.

5. Filter the solution (discard initials, nearly 4 ml of filtrate in each case)

6. Take 5 ml of each filtrate into conical flask and titrate against standard solution of
0.1N NaOH using phenolphthalein as indicator.

7. Plot a graph of Log Ce versus Log x/m.

Step I: Calculation of Initial concentrations of acetic acid [C0]

Observation Table I

Sl. No Vol of 0.5 N Volume of water Initial

acetic acid (ml) (ml) Normality/conc. of
acetic acid. [C0]
1 50 0
2 40 10
3 30 20
4 20 30
5 10 40

Calculation of initial normality of acetic acid

N1V1 = N2 V2
 Step II: Calculation of concentrations of acetic acid adsorbed by charcoal [Titration]

Sl. No Initial Volume of the acetic Volume of Normality of Normality of

Normality/conc. acid [Filtrate] 0.1 N NaOH acetic acid left acetic acid
of acetic acid. Taken for titration [Titre Value] after adsorbed
C0 adsorption
Eq. conc (Ce)
1
2
3
4
5

a. Calculation of normality of acetic acid after adsorption

N1V1 = N2 V2

b. Calculation of acetic acid adsorbed by charcoal

Initial Normality of AcOH – Normality of AcOH after adsorption
C0 – Ce

Step III.
Calculation of amount (mass) of acetic acid adsorbed by charcoal

Sl. No Amount of acetic x/m Log x/m Log Ce

acid adsorbed (x)
1
2
3
4
5

Weight (X) of acetic acid adsorbed on charcoal = N X Vml X Eq. wt / 1000