Laboratory 9

Acid-Base Titration

Objectives
1. To use a burette and pipette correctly and accurately.
2. To learn the correct method for performing a titration and determining an endpoint

Introduction
In this lab experiment you will again be using a new piece of volumetric equipment - a burette -
in a new technique – a titration.

A titration is a procedure used in analytical chemistry to determine the amount or

concentration of a substance. In a titration one reagent, the titrant, is slowly added to another.
As it is added, a chemical reaction occurs until one of the reagents is exhausted. Its purpose is
to determine the quantity or concentration of one of the reagents, by comparing it with the
other, which we know before the reaction.
We slowly add base into the acid, which causes them to react. This is called a neutralization
reaction. In a neutralization reaction, acid and base react to form salt and water. For example:
𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻(𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎) + 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑂𝑂𝑂𝑂(𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎) → 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁(𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎) + 𝐻𝐻2 𝑂𝑂(𝑙𝑙)
In the titration you will also use a compound known as an indicator (in this case
phenolphthalein) to determine when the reaction is neutralized. An indicator is a complex
organic compound (often a dye obtained from vegetables) that exists in two different coloured
forms. The colour depends on the pH of the environment. Phenolphthalein is colourless in acid
and pink in basic conditions. A colour change from colourless to very pale pink will let us know
that the acid is completely used. This is called the ENDPOINT of a titration.
We use a technique called volume by difference to calculate the volume of base added. We
measure the volume of base before we add any to the acid, and we measure the volume a
second time when the reaction is finished. Subtracting those numbers gives us the volume of
base. This is the same as mass by difference.
CHEM1021 Laboratory 9

Volume at endpoint 25.00 mL

← 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
Volume initial 10.00 mL
Volume of base used 15.00 mL

In today’s lab, you will perform titrations to learn the titration technique in getting a correct
end point. You must perform at least three titrations to confirm the endpoint volume of your
titration. Your lab mark for this experiment is based on your accuracy and precision. You must
have 3 titrations where the volume of base used is different by less than ± 0.30 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚.

Materials
Chemicals
Acid Solution (Strong or Weak acid) Sodium Hydroxide Solution (NaOH)
Phenolphthalein Indicator

Equipment
50.00mL Burette 2x 125mL Erlenmeyer flask
Burette stand and clamp Wash bottle
Glass Funnel Deionized water
10.00mL micropipette 2x 100mL beaker
10.00mL micropipette Tips 1x 400mL Beaker

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 CHEM1021 Laboratory 9

Hazards Identification

Chemical Hazards Identification

Name

Globally Harmonized System Hazard Pictograms

Health Flammable Exclamation Gas Corrosive Explosive Oxidizer Toxic to Acute

Hazard Mark Cylinder Environment toxicity

Hydrochloric
Acid
 

Sodium
Hydroxide


Phenolphthalein
 
indicator

For further information about the precautionary measures and safe handling of chemicals, please refer to the safety data sheet (SDS) by
clicking on the corresponding name of each chemical in the table above.

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CHEM1021 Laboratory 9

Procedure
Preparation and Cleaning of Equipment
1. Get a burette stand and clamp from under your seat.

2. Take two 125 mL Erlenmeyer flasks from your desk and clean them with tap water,
then with deionized water from your wash bottle. The flasks do not need to be
dried.

3. Clean two 100 mL beakers from your desk using tap water and deionized water. Dry
the beakers completely.

4. Label one beaker acid and the other base.

5. Take a 400 mL beaker from your desk and label it waste.

6. Bring your acid and base beaker to the instructor’s bench.

a. Collect 50 mL of your acid in the 100 mL clean, dry beaker labelled acid.

Record the name of the acid in Table 9.1.

b. Collect about 75mL of sodium hydroxide in the clean, dry 100mL beaker labelled
base.
Record the concentration of the base in Table 9.1.

7. Obtain a burette from the burette washer at the instructor’s bench.

8. Take a 10.00 mL micropipette and pipette tip from your instructor.

9. Close the stopcock of the burette. Bring the burette to a sink and use your wash
bottle to clean the inside of the burette with de-ionized water. As you add about
5mL of deionized water to the burette, turn the burette so that the water washes all
the sides.

10. Open the stopcock and let the water run out of the burette. Wash the burette this
way 2 more times.

11. Take a glass funnel from your desk and clean it with tap water and deionized water.

12. Place the funnel in the top of the burette.

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CHEM1021 Laboratory 9

13. With the burette stopcock closed, carefully pour about 1 mL of the base solution
into the burette using a funnel. Turn the burette in your hands the same way as
cleaning with water so that all sides of the burette are cleaned.

14. Open the stopcock and let the base come out the tip. Repeat this procedure 2 more
times.

15. When the burette is empty, close the stopcock and fill the burette just above the 0
line with base.

16. Remove the funnel from the burette and clamp the burette into the stand.

17. Place the beaker labelled waste under the burette tip.

18. Open the stopcock and run out about 1mL of the solution to remove any air bubbles
that may be trapped in the tip.

Preparation of the Acid

You must now prepare your Acid in the Erlenmeyer flask
1. Take one of your Erlenmeyer flasks and using your micropipette, add 10.00mL of
your acid into the flask.

2. Add approximately 40mL of deionized water into the flask. This will help you see the
colour change at the end point because it adds more volume to the flask.

3. Your instructor will give you a dropper bottle of phenolphthalein. Add 2-3 drops of
phenolphthalein indicator into the flask.

You are now ready to begin your titration.

Method for Reading the Burette

1. Hold a piece of white paper behind the burette and read your burette to two places
after the decimal.

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CHEM1021 Laboratory 9

2. The figure below shows the correct method for reading the burette.

30

35.02 mL Eye level

40

50

Performing the Titration

1. Record the initial volume of base from your burette in Table 9.2 of your workbook.
Your instructor MUST sign this volume in the workbook. Volumes with no signature
will NOT be marked.

2. Place your flask with acid, water and indicator under your burette.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED THE INITIAL VOLUME BEFORE YOU BEGIN.

3. Open the stopcock slowly to let a small amount of sodium hydroxide solution into
the flask.

4. When the sodium hydroxide enters the mixture, some of the indicator turns
temporarily pink.

5. Swirl the flask, this pink colour will disappear.

6. As more sodium hydroxide is added, the pink colour will stay for a longer time.

a. When this happens, start adding the sodium hydroxide drop by drop, washing
the inside of the flask with water from your wash bottle to wash down any
solution that has splashed up the sides of the flask.

b. It will take more mixing to make the pink colour disappear now. This means you
are near the endpoint.

7. Near the endpoint, add one drop at a time into the flask. At the endpoint all the
solution in the flask turns pale pink for 30 seconds.

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CHEM1021 Laboratory 9

8. If you add too much base to your flask, the phenolphthalein will turn dark pink.

9. Make sure the stopcock is completely closed and read the volume of the burette the
same way you did before the procedure.
Record the final volume in Table 9.2 of your workbook and show your instructor
the completed endpoint.

10. Repeat the steps above for your second trial. You need at least two trials.

a. Show your instructor the volumes of your titrations. They should be within
± 0.30 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 of each other.

REMEMBER TO READ AND RECORD YOUR INITIAL AND FINAL READINGS WITH EACH
TITRATION

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