NAME: Shekinah Aeriel Ferguson

SCHOOL: Bishops High School Tobago

SUBJECT: Chemistry

TEACHER: Ms. Kennedy

PROJECT TITLE: Investigative Project

TOPIC: Titration

HYPOTHESIS: The fresh oranges are more acidic than stale oranges which
were a week old.
 INTRODUCTION

In this project, we are trying to find out if fresh orange juice is more acidic than stale
oranges which are a week old. To do this, titration, a common technique in
Chemistry, will be used. By titrating the juices from the different oranges, we can
determine whether the hypothesis is true or not by comparing the titration results.

Titration is a laboratory method used to determine the unknown concentration of a

reactant. Usually an indicator is used in titration to determine the end point of the
reaction. Once the endpoint volume is found, mathematics can be used to determine
the concentration of the unknown. This procedure is commonly used in the field of
analytical chemistry.

In this experiment an indicator called phenolphthalein will be used. Phenolphthalein

is colourless when the solution it is placed in is acidic or neutral. When the solution
becomes slightly basic, phenolphthalein turns from pink and then light purple, the
more basic it becomes. Titration is complete when this colour change is seen. The
acid in this experiment is Citric acid which is a weak organic acid (C6H8O7 ) which
occurs naturally in citrus fruits such as oranges and the base is Sodium Hydroxide
(NaOH) which is a strong base.

.
 APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

To do this experiment the following apparatus and materials are needed:

knife
6 oranges picked at the same time
strainer
2 identical bowl
Pipette
Pipette filler
Burette
Retort stand
Conical flask
Phenolphthalein (pH indicator)
Funnel
Sodium Hydroxide Solution (NaOH)
Filter Paper
White Tile
 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
METHOD:
Pick 6 oranges at the same time.
Set aside 3 oranges for one week.
Using a knife, peel the remaining 3 oranges.
Squeeze and strain the oranges using a strainer.
Set up apparatus.
Measure 25cm3 of the orange juice using the pipette filler and the
pipette.
Put juice into the conical flask.
Add 3 drops of phenolphthalein to juice in the conical flask. place on
white tile under burette.
Rinse burette with NaOH solution.
Using the funnel, fill the burette with NaOH solution up to 0cm3.
Note the stariting level of the NaOH in the burette.
Place conical flask under the burette on the white tile to be titrated.
Slowly drip the solution of NaOH into the conical flask. Swirl flask
gently to mix solution while keeping the opening under the burette.
When a slight colour change is seen and disappears, allow NaOH to
drip drop-by-drop into conical flask.
Continue until colour change from yellow to brown is seen.
Take burette reading of the remaining NaOH solution at eye level and
record results.
Repeat experiment using the other 3 oranges which were left for a
week and record results.

Controlled Variable: The volume of Orange Juice

Manipulated Variable: Orange Juice
Responding Variable: Volume of NaOH
Expected Results: The fresh oranges are more acidic than the one week old oranges.
 RESULTS OF EXPERIMENT

Table Showing Burette Readings of Volume of NaOH Used in Experiment:

Fresh Oranges
Burette Reading 1 2
Initial Reading (mL) 00.00 00.00
Final Reading (mL) 28.20 28.30
Volume of NaOH used 28.20 28.30
/cm3

Calculations

Average Titre: = (28.2 + 28.3) 2

= 56.5 2

= 28.25

Table Showing Burette Readings of Volume of NaOH Used in Experiment:

One Week Old Oranges
Burette Reading 1 2
Initial Reading 00.00 00.00
Final Reading 16.95 16.95
Volume of NaOH used 16.95 16.95
/cm3

Calculations

Average Titre: = (16.95 + 16.90) 2

= 33.85 2

= 16.93
Balanced Chemical Equation:

C3H5O(COOH)3 (aq) + 3NaOH (aq) Na3C3H5O(COO)3 (aq) + 3 H2O (l)

INDICATOR: Phenolphthalein

The yellow colour of both orange juices turned from yellow to brown when
neutralization occurred.
 DISCUSSION

Titration is the slow addition of one solution of a known concentration (called a

titrant) to a known volume of another solution of unknown concentration until the
reaction reaches neutralization, which is often indicated by a color change. In this
experiment both the juice from the fresh oranges and the oranges which were a
week old was titrated. An Indicator is a chemical compound that changes color and
structure when exposed to certain conditions and is therefore useful for chemical
tests. The indicator phenolphthalein was used in this experiment. Since the original
color of the acidic solution was yellow due to the orange juice a colour change from
yellow to brown was seen when neutralization occurred. A neutralization reaction is
when an acid and a base react to form water and a salt and involves the combination
of H+ ions and OH- ions to generate water. The neutralization of a strong acid and
weak base will have a pH of less than 7, and conversely, the resulting pH when a
strong base neutralizes a weak acid will be greater than 7. NaOH is a strong base and
Citric acid is a weak organic which occurs naturally in citrus fruits such as oranges.
Fresh oranges were found to be more acidic than the oranges which were a week
old. This was so since the average titre of NaOH solution used for the juice from the
fresh oranges was higher than the average titre of NaOH solution used for the juice
from the oranges which were a week old.
Sources of Error/Limitations: Ensure to remove air bubbles from pipette when
measuring orange juice.

Ensure to measure all readings at eye level.

The Funnel could not have been removed after

pouring NaOH into the beaker causing measurement
to be inaccurate.

Conclusion: The fresh oranges were more acidic than the one week old oranges.

Reflection: I learnt that titration could be used to determine the acidity of a citrus
fruit and that oranges which are fresh are more acidic than oranges that are left for
one week.