EXPERIMENT - 4

Titration of Acids and Bases

Dr. Rakesh Rajagopalan
 Objective
To become familiar with the techniques of titration and to
determine the concentration of a base using acid-base
titration

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 What is Titration
An analytical technique, widely uses to determine the
concentration of a solution by reacting with an another
standard solution.

A solution whose concentration is already known is termed as

a standard solution

A solution whose concentration is to be determined is known

as an unknown solution

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 How do we use titration technique
By knowing the solutions, by knowing the reaction between
the solutions, we can calculate the concentration of the
unknown by measuring volume.

How do you demine the concentration of a base?

React the unknown base with a standard acid
Acid + Base Salt + water

By knowing the volume of base required to neutralize a

definite amount of the standard acid, we can determine the
molarity of the unknown base
This is known as acid base titration

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 How do we use titration technique
The unknown solution is added just enough to completely
react with the solute in the standard solution.

How do you know that the reaction is complete?

Indicators help to identify the end point of the reaction

In the end point, where all acids was consumed and there is
no excess of base , is called the equivalence point.

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 How do we use titration technique
In titration, our aim is to get as close as possible to the
equivalence point by careful addition of the base.

We will repeat the trials 3 times to get the correct volume of

the base required to neutralize the standard acid.

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 Common Terms in Titration Technique
Titrant:
The solution of unknown concentration

Burette:
Small cylindrical glass tube that can be used to determine
small, accurate quantities of a solution.
Using burette we can have a controlled addition of the
solution.
Initial volume final volume = V
Use two decimal points

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 Common Terms in Titration Technique
Indicator (acid-base titration)

Phenolphthalein a pH indicator
Acidic solution: colorless
Basic solution: Pink color

The equivalent point will be when the color is very faint pink

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 What we do in this lab?
Using titration technique, we are going to determine the
concentration of an unknown NaOH solution by reacting with
a standard acid (KHP ) solution.

Remember, this is a quantitative process!

This process is known as standardization of NaOH

The acid KHP is a primary standard

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 What we do in this lab?
Reaction between NaOH & KHP

Molarity Unit: moles/L

See practice examples in lab manual, page 62 & 63
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 Experiment
Apparatus:
50 mL Burette with clamp, 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask (3), small funnel, 250
mL beaker, weighing bottle, ring stand and ring, balance, wash bottle

Chemicals:
0.1 M NaOH, Phenolphthalein indicator,
Potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP, primary standard)

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 Experiment
Preparing the burette:
1. Carefully fix the burette in the clamp, and make sure that the
stopcock is closed.

2. Wash the burette using deionized water. Flush the water through the
burette tip.

3. Rinse the burette using 5 mL NaOH solution, and flush the NaOH
through the burette tip.

4. Fill the burette with NaOH solution to slightly above the zero line.

5. Drain some base through the tip to clear the burette tip of air, and
bring the lower meniscus of the base solution so as to coincide the
0.00 graduation. Take this as the initial burette reading.
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 Experiment
Reading Burette:

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 Experiment
Procedure:
Standardization of the NaOH solution
1. Weigh 0.4 g of pure potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) into a 250
mL Erlenmeyer flask. Your weighing must be very accurate to four
significant figures. Record the mass in the data table.

2. Add 100 mL distilled water into the KHP weighed and warm gently
swirling until the salt is completely dissolved.

3. Add two drops of phenolphthalein indicator solution

4. Fill the burette with NaOH solution (see slide # 12). Record the initial
burette reading in 2 decimal points.

5. Slowly add NaOH solution from the burette into the flask as drop by
drop with constant swirling.
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6. As the NaOH is added, a pink color appears, and this coloration
disappears on swirling .

7. As the end point approaches, this coloration disappears more slowly,

at which time the NaOH should be added drop by drop with constant
swirling.

8. The end point is reached when one drop of the NaOH solution turns
the entire solution in the flask into a pale pink color. The solution
should remain pale pink when it is swirled.

9. Record the final burette reading into 2 decimal points. In your data
sheet.

10. Repeat the titration 2 more times with new KHP

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