Standardization of potassium permanganate with oxalic acid is a common analytical

technique used to determine the concentration of a KMnO4 solution

Materials:

 Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solution of unknown concentration

 Oxalic acid dihydrate (H2C2O4.2H2O)
 Distilled water
 Burette
 Erlenmeyer flask
 Funnel
 1M sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
 Procedure:

1. Dry an accurately weighed amount of oxalic acid dihydrate (H2C2O4.2H2O) crystals in an oven at
100-110°C for one hour. Record the weight to the nearest 0.001 g.
2. Dissolve the oxalic acid crystals in distilled water to make a solution of known concentration.
Calculate the molarity of the solution using the weight and the molar mass of oxalic acid.
3. Fill the burette with the KMnO4 solution of unknown concentration.
4. Measure a known volume (e.g. 25 mL) of the oxalic acid solution into an Erlenmeyer flask using a
volumetric pipette.
5. Add about 10 mL of 1M H2SO4 to the flask. This will acidify the solution and help to prevent the
premature oxidation of the oxalic acid.
6. Heat the flask gently on a hot plate to about 60°C to speed up the reaction.
7. Slowly add the KMnO4 solution from the burette to the oxalic acid solution, swirling the flask
gently to mix the solution after each addition.
8. Continue adding the KMnO4 solution until a faint pink color persists for 30 seconds. The pink
color indicates that all of the oxalic acid has reacted with the KMnO4.
9. Record the volume of KMnO4 solution used in the titration to the nearest 0.01 mL.
10. Repeat the titration two more times, recording the volume of KMnO4 solution used in each
titration.
11. Calculate the average volume of KMnO4 solution used in the three titrations. Use this value to
calculate the concentration of the KMnO4 solution.