Lab Report #4

Titration of Hydrochloric acid with Sodium Hydroxide

 SCH3U. 02

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Introduction

The following lab was an acid-base neutralizing titration. A titration is a technique, in which a reagent,
called a titrant, of known concentration is used to determine the concentration of an analyte or
unknown solution. Using a calibrated burette, the initial volume of the titrant is recorded. The exact
amount of titrant must be added to the acidic solution for a chemical reaction to occur. This is an
indicator that enough of the standard solution was added for an equalization of moles between the
analyte and titrant within the aqueous solution. In the following experiment, the indicator was that the
beginning of the aqueous solution changing from a colorless liquid to a light pink. In order to obtain
accurate results the equivalent point must be attained accurately by slowly adding the titrant to the
analyte for it to reach its end point. The endpoint is the point at which the titration is stopped. The end
point was when the full solution appeared a light pink. Lastly the final volume of the titrant must be
recorded. With this data, the volume of NaOH used can be calculated. Using the formula C1V1 = C2V2,
where C1 is the molarity of the NaOH, the difference in volume is the V1 and the amount of aqueous
solution that was measured in the Erlenmeyer flask is the V2.

Purpose

To determine the concentration of an Unknown Hydrochloric acid solution.

Materials

Please refer to page 1 of 2 on the lab handout

Procedure

Please refer to page 1 of 2 on the lab handout.

 Observations/Data

Burette Reading Trail 1 Trail 2 Trail 3 Trail 4(if nec.)

mL
Final Reading 21.6mL 38.7mL 49.5mL+ 39.2mL = 88.750.3mL+41.9mL
=92.2mL
Initial Reading 5.1mL 21.6mL 38.7mL+27.8mL=66.6mL 39.2mL+41.00mL
80.2mL
Volume of NaOH 16.5lmL 17.1mL 22.1mL 12mL

Calculations

Average of your two

closest burette readings

Given
Average V of NaOH;
16.81mL
Molar concentration of
NaOH; 0.100M

Want
Molar concentration of
HCL
Results and Discussion

This experiment was conducted to determine the analyte. The results showed that three of the four
results were close and that the outsider of the trails was trail number three because its value is relatively
higher than the others. This could be due to how the trails were carried out. Trails one, two and four
were conducted closely in the same fashion. In the first, second and fourth trials, using a calibrated
burette the titrant were poured at a reasonable rate into the Erlenmeyer flask, which held the analyte.
As the reaction began, occur the nob of the burette was slowly closed, but only after the reaction had
reached its end point. Contrasting to the first, second and fourth trails, the third trail were conducted in
which the nob was only slightly ajar thus, only a few drops would drip into the Erlenmeyer flask. The
rate at which the reaction occurred too longer and thus the nob was opened and closed several times.
The reaction took a longer time to occur and used much more base than needed.

Volume measurements play a key role in titration. The initial volume and final volume of all three trails
were subtracted to find each amount of titrant delivered. The two closest burette readings conducted
were trail two, where the volume of NaOH calculated was 17.1mL and trail four, where the volume of
the NaOH calculated is 18ml. These two values were then used to calculate an average volume of
17.55mL of NaOH. Using the average concentration of the titrant and the stoichiometry of the titration,
with the given molarity of the Sodium hydroxide the number of moles of the reactant in the analyte
solution can be calculated. In the calculations for the experiment, the results showed the molarity of the
Hydrochloric acid to be a value of 0.029mol.

Source of experimental error

Some experimental error that could have occurred is that the volume of the hydrochloric acid in the
Erlenmeyer flask could have a different measurement than that which was used in the calculations due
to different factors, such as the 2 to 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator. Even though there was a small
amount added, it does have a difference. For, more accurate results the solution should have been
measured.

As the endpoint was being reached, a partial drop of the titrant was not added, more like a few drops or
more were added, which could cause inaccurate results. Also, the solution wasn’t a light pink. It was a
light pink, but a slightly darker light pink.

Also when the measurements were being taken, for one of the trails the mincus went below the 50mL
mark the mincus had to be estimated, before adding more solution, which could have contributed to
misreading because one’s eye are not at a tangent to the liquid level. This experimental error could have
occurred with the other values as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the experiment was a success as the molarity of the Hydrochloric acid solution was found
by stoichiometric methods. By titrating measured volumes with a strong base of known concentration,
the unknown molarity of the acid was determined. The process of the experiment involved preparing a
calibrated burette and recording the initial ad final NaOH volumes for 4 trials. The data was not as
accurate as it would have been hoped because time was a lack of resource so we could not be as careful
as we wished. However, even with experimental error for a first titration experiment, the experiment
was shown to be a success.

Some improvements for this lab could be more trails could be conducted for more accurate results. The
experiment could have been conducted more carefully.