Acid vs base titration

Key Points

o A diprotic acid contains two protons (H+) and can produce two
hydrogen ions in solution.
o Certain types of polyprotic acids have more specific names,
such as diprotic acid (two potential protons to donate) and
triprotic acid (three potential protons to donate).
o Although the subsequent loss of each sequential hydrogen ion
is increasingly less favorable, all of the conjugate bases are
present in solution.

Terms

 Polyprotic Of an acid (or a base) that can donate (or accept) more
than one proton; polybasic.
 Titration The determination of the concentration of some substance
in a solution by slowly adding measured amounts of some other
substance (normally using a burette) until a reaction is shown to be
complete—for instance, by the color change of an indicator.
 monoprotic acid One that is able to donate one hydrogen ion per
molecule during the process of dissociation.

Monoprotic Acids

Monoprotic acids are acids able to donate one proton per molecule during
the process of dissociation (sometimes called ionization) as shown below
(symbolized by HA):

HA ⇌ H+ + A -

Common examples of monoprotic acids in mineral acids include

hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO3). On the other hand, for

1
organic acids the term mainly indicates the presence of one carboxylic acid
group, and sometimes these acids are known as monocarboxylic acid.

Polyprotic Acids

Polyprotic acid are able to donate more than one proton per acid molecule,
in contrast to monoprotic acids that only donate one proton per molecule.
Certain types of polyprotic acids have more specific names, such as
diprotic acid (two potential protons to donate) and triprotic acid (three
potential protons to donate).

For example, oxalic acid, also called ethanedioic acid, is diprotic, having
two protons to donate.

Oxaliic Acid Showing consecutive losses of H+This image shows how

Oxalic Acid will lose two protons in successive dissociations.

If a dilute solution of oxalic acid were titrated with a sodium hydroxide

solution, the protons would react in a stepwise neutralization reaction.

Neutralization of a diprotic acid

Oxalic acid undergoes stepwise neutralization by sodium hydroxide
solution.

If the pH of this titration were recorded and plotted against the volume of
NaOH added, a very clear picture of the stepwise neutralization emerges,
with very distinct equivalence points on the titration curves.

2
Titration curve for diprotic acid

The titration of dilute oxalic acid with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) shows two
distinct neutralization points due to the two protons.

Oxalic acid is an example of an acid able to enter into a reaction with two
available protons, having different Ka values for the dissociation (ionization)
of each proton.

A diprotic acid dissociationThe diprotic acid has two associated values

of Ka, one for each proton.

Likewise, a triprotic system can be envisioned. Each reaction proceeds with

its unique value of Ka.

Triprotic acid dissociation

Triprotic acids can make three distinct proton donations, each with a unique
Ka. An example of a triprotic acid is orthophosphoric acid (H3PO4), usually
3
just called phosphoric acid. All three protons can be successively lost to
yield H2PO4−, then HPO42-, and finally PO43- the phosphate ion.
PKa1 PKa2 PKa3

H3PO4 ⇌ H+ + H2PO4− ⇌ H+ + HPO42− ⇌ H+ + PO43−

Another example of a triprotic acid is citric acid, which can successively

lose three protons to finally form the citrate ion.