Determination of Acetic Acid in Vinegar by Titration

Reagan Shaw, Chris Kinzel, and Jake Henderson

Purpose: The percentage of acetic acid in a sample of vinegar may be found by titrating the sample against a
standard basic solution. By determining the volume of sodium hydroxide solution of known molarity necessary to
neutralize a measured quantity of vinegar, the molarity of the vinegar can be calculated. The molarity can then be
converted to the percentage of acetic acid in vinegar.

Procedure:
1. Obtain and wear goggles.
2. Obtain a 25 mL buret then rinse and drain the buret with a few mL of the vinegar solution. Fill the buret to about
the 0 mL mark. Allow approximately 10 mL of vinegar solution to drain into a 250 mL beaker. Record this
volume exactly. Add about 100 mL of distilled water. Add 3 drops of phenolphthalein acid-base indicator.
3. Place the beaker onto the stir station and add a small stirring bar. Turn on the stirrer and adjust it to a slow
stirring speed.
4. Use the electrode support clamp to suspend a pH Sensor on a ring stand as shown in Figure 1. Situate the pH
Sensor in the vinegar solution and adjust its position toward the side of the beaker so that it is not struck by the
stirring bar.
5. Obtain a 25 mL buret then rinse and drain the buret with a few mL of the NaOH solution. Fill the buret to about
the 0 mL mark. CAUTION: Sodium hydroxide solution is caustic. Avoid spilling it on your skin or clothing.
6. Connect the pH Sensor to the computer interface. Run the Logger Pro program on your computer. Open the file
“07a Acid-Base” from the Advanced Chemistry with Vernier folder. The pH reading should be between 2.5 and 3.5
for the vinegar solution. You are now ready to begin the titration.

a. Before adding NaOH titrant, click . Once the displayed pH reading has stabilized, click . In
the edit box, type 0 (for 0 mL added). Press the ENTER key to store the first data pair for this experiment.

b. Add the next increment of NaOH (enough to raise the pH about 0.35 units). When the pH stabilizes,
again click . In the edit box, type the current buret reading as accurately as possible. Press ENTER.
You have now saved the second data pair for the experiment.

c. Continue adding NaOH solution in increments that raise the pH by about 0.35 units and enter the buret
reading after each increment. When a pH value of approximately 5.5 is reached, change to a one-drop
increment.

d. Watch to see if the phenolphthalein changes color before, at the same time, or after the rapid change in pH at
the equivalence point. If phenolphthalein is a suitable indicator for this reaction, it should change from clear
to red at about the same time as the jump in pH occurs.

e. After a pH value of approximately 10 is reached, add larger increments that raise the pH by about 0.35 pH
units, and enter the buret level after each increment.
 f. Continue adding NaOH solution until the pH value remains constant (until the titration curve has leveled
off).

7. When you have finished collecting data, click . Dispose of the reaction mixture as directed. Rinse the pH
Sensor with distilled water in preparation for the second titration.

8. You can read pH and volume values along the pH curve by clicking the Examine button, . As you move the
mouse cursor across the graph, pH and volume data points are displayed in the examine box on the graph.
Determine the approximate volume for the equivalence point; that is, for the biggest jump in pH in the steep
vertical region of the curve. Record this volume. Dispose of the beaker contents as directed by your teacher.
Clean and dry the 250 mL beaker for the next trial. Note: You do not need to save or store your data for any of
the trials.
9. Another method to determine the equivalence point, which is the largest increase in pH upon the addition of a very
small amount of NaOH solution is explained in the steps below. To determine the precise equivalence point of
the titration, you may take the second derivative of the pH-volume data, a plot of Δ2pH/Δvol2.

a. View a plot of the second derivative on Page 3 by clicking the Next Page button, .

b. Analyze the second derivative plot and record the volume of NaOH at the equivalence point.
10. Go back to the original titration graph. Print a copy of the graph and the data set. If you wish to save the results
of the titration(s), choose Store Latest Run from the Experiment menu.
11. Repeat this procedure to obtain three trials of data. Be sure to rinse the pH probe with distilled water in-between
trials.

Safety:

Behavioral Equipment Chemical

● No horseplay in the lab ● Always wash and clean ● General -

● Always wear proper equipment before and ○ Do not
protective equipment after use touch/taste/sniff
(goggles, apron, etc.) ● Use hot hands or tongs and chemicals
● Follow steps properly and when handling hot ○ Dispose of
in order glassware chemicals into
● Ask the teacher is there is ● Be careful when handling proper waste
an accident or confusion glass, and immediately container
notify the teacher if it ○ Immediately
breaks notify the teacher
● Never leave a flame/hot of any spill or
plate unattended touch
○ Be aware of safety
shower/eyewash
station locations
and immediately
go to them if a
spill or touch
occurs
● Phenolphthalein indicator
○ highly flammable
 ○ eye irritation
○ may cause
drowsiness or
dizziness
● Vinegar solution
○ if on skin - wash
with soap and
water
○ if in eyes - rinse
cautiously with
water for several
minutes
● NaOH -
○ Relatively stable
under conditions
of normal storage
and use
○ Moisture/air
sensitive

Titration Curve:
Trial 1:
Trial 2:

Trial 3:
Trial 4:

Results:
1. Determine the volumes of vinegar and NaOH used for each of the four trials.

Vinegar (mL) NaOH (mL)

Trial 1 9.90 11.5

Trial 2 10.00 11.6

Trial 3 10.00 11.3

Trial 4 10.00 11.5

2. Using the molarity of NaOH, determine the moles of NaOH used in each trial.
Given .750 M of NaOH

Moles

Trial 1 .008625 mol

Trial 2 .0087 mol

Trial 3 .008475 mol

 Trial 4 .008625 mol

3. Write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction.

CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) → CH3COONa(aq) + H2O(l)
4. Calculate the moles of acetic acid that reacted with NaOH by using the value found in #2 for each trial.

Moles

Trial 1 .008625 mol

Trial 2 .0087 mol

Trial 3 .008475 mol

Trial 4 .008625 mol

5. Determine the molarity of vinegar using the moles of acetic acid and the volume of vinegar used for each trial.

Molarity

Trial 1 0.8539 M

Trial 2 0.87 M

Trial 3 0.8475 M

Trial 4 0.8625 M

6. Calculate the average molarity of vinegar.

Average Molarity: 0.8585 M
7. Calculate the molar mass of acetic acid.
Molar Mass: 60.052
8. Use the average molarity of vinegar to determine the mass of acetic acid in 1L of vinegar.
Mass of acetic acid in 1L of vinegar: 51.55 g
9. Assume the density of vinegar is very close to 1.00 g/mL so that the mass of 1L of vinegar is 1000g. Calculate the
percentage of acetic acid in your vinegar sample. (Hint: the mass of acetic acid in 1L of vinegar was calculated in
#8. Divide the mass of acetic acid in 1L by the total mass of vinegar in a liter, then multiply by 100 to get the
percentage of acetic acid in vinegar.)
5.16% acetic acid
10. Determine a class average molarity for vinegar
(0.867 + 0.887 + 0.878 + 0.859 + 1.23) / 5 = 0.9442 M vinegar