Titration level 3

Laura Estrada

Aims
In level 3, you'll analyse samples from a batch of hair product that is suspected to be fake. You'll perform titration
experiments to work out the level of ammonia in the samples.

In each activity you'll be able to collect points. At the end of the level you can restart to improve your skills.

Video 100 Points

Comprehension 100 Points 1 Attempt

Ammonia is an example of a weak base.

Weak bases partially dissociate in water.

The conjugate acid of ammonia is the ammonium ion.

Initially the pH of the solution quickly decreases as the strong acid is added to the solution of the weak base.

Ammonia is corrosive chemical. The hazard symbol for corrosive is:

Preparing for titration 100 Points 1 Attempt

First you rinsed a pipette with ammonia solution.

Then you used the pipette to transfer exactly 25.00 cm3 of ammonia solution into a beaker.

Burette setup 100 Points 1 Attempt

First you rinsed a burette with distilled water.

Next you rinsed the burette with some of the hydrochloric acid solution.

Then you filled the burette with the hydrochloric acid solution.

Then you removed the funnel.

Finally the burette was filled below the tap by running out some solution.
pH meter 50 Points
First you used the pH probe to obtain a plot of pH against volume added from the burette.

From the data, you selected methyl orange and bromothymol blue as suitable indicators for the titration experiment.

Titration experiment 50 Points

1st 2nd 3rd

Trial accurate accurate accurate
titration titration titration

Final reading
30.65 29.25 29.70 27.25
(cm3)

Initial reading
11.50 10.85 11.45 9.00
(cm3)

Titre (cm3) 19.15 18.40 18.25 18.25

Mean titre
18.25
(cm3)

The results of the trial and 1st accurate titration were excluded from the average volume calculation.

Mean titre added: 18.25 cm3.

You performed titration experiments on the ammonia solution from the hair product, using methyl orange as indicator.

You performed a trial titration first to get a rough idea of the amount of solution needed.

You then performed accurate titrations until your results were concordant and calculated the mean titre from your
concordant results.

Titration calculation 80 Points 2 Attempts

Concentration of HCl solution = 0.1 mol dm-3.

Mean titre (HCL solution) = 18.25 cm3.

Amount of HCl = 0.00183 moles.

Molar ratio of HCl ammonia = 1:1.

Concentration of hair product (diluted solution) = 0.0732 mol dm-3.

Concentration of hair product = 3.66 mol dm-3 - this will be 50× the value above because it was diluted.

Amount of hair product in bottle = 0.366 moles.

Mass of ammonia in hair product in bottle = 6.22 g.

You correctly determined that the ammonia content in the hair product is above the accepted limit for use in cosmetic
products

Review
Things I did well on:

Things I could improve on:

In this titration you used hydrochloric acid of known concentration. A technique referred to as “standardising the
solution” is often performed on acids prior to the titration to ensure an accurate concentration is known. Why?