Acid –Base Titrations

Juvinch Vicente

UPV Chemistry Department

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 11 lec

Titration: General Concept

• Titrimetry
– a group of analytical methods based on
determining the quantity of a reagent of known
concentration to react completely with analyte.

– primarily based on the stoichiometry of the

reaction.

– rapid, accurate, convenient, rugged

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Volumetric Titrimetry

• Standard Solution
– a reagent of known concentration that is used in
titrimetric analysis.
– must be carefully prepared

• In Acid-Base titrations, what is/are the

standard solutions?

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Volumetric Titrimetry

• Titration
– the process of adding standard solution until the
its reaction with the analyte is “judged” to be
complete.

• Back Titration
– determination of the excess standard solution
used
– Ex, during an overrun
– often done when titration reaction is slow, or the
standard solution has low stability
J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab
Equivalence Point VS End Point

• Equivalence Point
– reached when the amount of the added titrant is
chemically equivalent to the amount of analyte

• End Point
– estimation of equivalence point
– determined by observing physical changes

• Titration Error, Et
Et = Vep - Veq
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Equivalence Point VS End Point

• Indicators
– are added to the analyte solution to provide and
observable physical change (end point) at or near
equivalenve point.

– the physical change must be at minimum, but

persistent.

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Primary Standards

• a highly purified compound that serves as a

reference material in volumetric titrations.
• Requirements:
1. Very high purity
2. Atmospheric stability
3. Non-hygroscopic
4. Modest cost
5. Soluble in titration medium
6. Large molar mass

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Primary Standards
• Unfortunately, only very few compounds meet
these criteria,

• Commercially available primary standard is

limited.

• Less pure compounds called secondary standards

are used.

• The purity of such a secondary standard must be

carefully established

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Standard Solutions

• Ideal Standard Solutions

1. Sufficiently stable
2. React rapidly with the analyte
3. React completely with the analyte
4. Undergo selective reaction with analyte
– Sad to say, few reagents meet all these
properties perfectly. 

• The accuracy of the titration mainly depends

on the accuracy of the standard solution.

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Standard Solutions
• Establishing Standard Solution Concentration

1. Direct Method/Preparation (ideal)

– carefully weigh primary standard is dissolved in a
suitable solvent and diluted EXACTLY to a known
volume of vol. flask

2. Standardization (common)
– titrate standard solution against:
1. a weighed quantity of primary standard
2. a weighed quantity of secondary standard
3. a known volume of another standard solution

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Volumetric Calculations

• Molarity = moles solute/liter solution

Consider: aA + tT  P (A-analyte; T-titrant)

 mmol A = mmol T x [ a mmol A/ t mmol T]

 MT = (mg A/FW A) /{ mL T x [a/t (mmol A/mmol T)]}

 mg A = MT x mL T x [a/t (mmol A/mmol T)] x FWA

 % A = (mg A/ mg sample) x 100%

 % A = (g A/ mL sample) x 100%
J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab
Acid-Base Titrations

• simply, a neutralization titration

H+ + OH- → H2O
• Example:

HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Standard Solutions

• 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M HCl

– Remember preparations and calculations involved

• Indicator: Phenolphthalein
– colorless(acid) to pink (base)

• Primary Standard: KHP (Potassium Hydrogen

Pthalate)
– 204.2 g/mol

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Titration of Strong Acid with a Strong Base

• At the start of the

titration to near the
equivalence point, the pH
goes up slowly.

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Titration of Strong Acid with a Strong Base

• At around the
equivalence point, the pH
increases rapidly.

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Titration of Strong Acid with a Strong Base

• At the equivalence point,

nacid= nbase, and the
solution contains only
water and the salt from
the cation of the base and
the anion of the acid.
• pH = 7.00

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Titration of Strong Acid with a Strong Base

• As more amount of base is

added, the increase in pH
again levels off.

J. Vicente (UPV) CHEM 23 lab

Sources:

• Chemistry: The Central Science, 11th edition. Theodore L.

Brown, H. Eugene LeMay, Jr., and Bruce E. Bursten. , McGraw-
Hill, Philippines, 2004

• General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications, 1Oth

Edition. Ralph H. Petrucci, F. Geoffrey Herring, Jeffry D.
Madura, and Carey Bissonnette. Philippines, 2002

• Chemistry, 7th edition. Steven S. Zumdahl , Susan A. Zumdahl ,

Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002

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