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Lab 10 - Titrations

Purpose

To determine the concentration of acetic acid in vinegar.

Goals

Introduction

Many laboratories analyze consumer products to determine accuracy in the labeling of the product. The very common and simple technique of titration is demonstrated in this experiment. A titration is an analytical procedure in which a reaction is run under carefully controlled conditions. The stoichiometric volume of one reactant of known concentration, the titrant, that is required to react with another reactant of unknown concentration, the analyte, is measured. The concentration of the analyte is determined from the concentration and volume of titrant and the stoichiometry of the reaction between them. The experimental setup is shown in Figure 1. A buret, which contains the titrant, is calibrated so the volume of solution that it delivers can be determined with high accuracy and precision. Titrant is added to the analyte until the stoichiometric volume of titrant has been added. This is called the equivalence point, at which the volume of titrant delivered by the buret is read. Usually, the volume readings are estimated to the nearest 0.01 mL. The delivery of the titrant is adjusted with the stopcock on the buret. With practice, one can dispense fractions of a drop of titrant and control the procedure well enough that replicated titrations agree within 0.10 mL. For this first lab, you will need your titrations to agree to within 0.50 mL.
Figure 1

Figure 1: Titration Setup

Often, the equivalence point is determined visually with an indicator. The indicator, which is a substance that changes color near the equivalence point, is added to the analyte solution. Since the color change is near but not exactly at the equivalence point, the point at which the color change occurs is called the endpoint. Indicators are chosen so the endpoint is very close to the equivalence point. It is important to keep a titration well mixed, so the titrant and analyte can contact each other and react rapidly. Either manual swirling of the flask or mechanical stirring can be used. You will use manual swirling in this experiment. Remember to constantly swirl in order to ensure complete mixing of the solutions. The most common type of titration is the acid-base titration. In this experiment, you will determine the concentration of acetic acid, HC2H3O2 in commercial vinegar. In this titration, aqueous NaOH is the titrant, and vinegar is the analyte. We assume that the strong base and the weak acid react completely according to the net equation:
( 1 )
HC2H3O2(aq) + OH(aq) → C2H3O2(aq) + H2O(l)  
The balanced equation shows 1:1 stoichiometry, so we can write:
( 2 )
moles HC2H3O2 reacting = moles OH added 
Or more generally:
( 3 )
moles of acid reacting = moles of base reacting 
Moles of base can be calculated from molarity times volume (molesbase = Mbase × Vbase). As a reminder on concentration units: molarity is defined as the number of moles of solute in a liter of solution (M = mol/L). This is numerically equal to the number of millimoles of solute in a milliliter of solution (M = mmol/mL). It is often convenient to use this second definition of molarity in titrations and other work where small quantities are involved. There are 1000 mmol in 1 mol and 1000 mL in 1 liter. For example, 10.2 mL of 0.100 M NaOH solution contains 1.02 mmol of NaOH.
( 4 )
10.2 mL solution ×
0.100 mmol NaOH
1 mL solution
= 1.02 mmol NaOH
 
Molarity of the acid can be calculated from moles divided by volume (Macid = molesacid / Vacid). In this experiment, a carefully measured volume of vinegar (Vacid) is placed into a flask and the mass determined. The sample of vinegar is then titrated with a NaOH solution of known concentration (Mbase), and the volume of NaOH solution required to reach the endpoint (Vbase) is determined. Vbase, Mbase, and Vacid are all known, so the concentration of the acid (Macid) can be determined as described above. In addition, the mass of acetic acid in the sample can be determined from the number of moles present and the molar mass of acetic acid (gacid = MWacid × molesacid). Finally, the mass percent of acetic acid in the vinegar can be determined from the mass of the acetic acid in the sample and mass of the vinegar solution that was titrated.
( 5 )
Mass % =
mass of acetic acid in sample
mass of vinegar solution titrated
× 100
 
In the titration of acetic acid with aqueous NaOH, phenolphthalein is used as the indicator. Phenolphthalein is nearly colorless in acidic solution, but turns pink at a pH of about 8. This indicates that the base has neutralized all the acid. As you titrate the vinegar, you will observe that the pink color is more persistent as you add more base. This is a signal to slow the addition of base, and control it carefully. The endpoint has been reached when a faint pink color persists for at least 30 seconds. It is easy to overshoot the endpoint. If this happens, you will have a dark purple-pink solution, and you will have to repeat the titration, so be careful. Note the volume you have used; stop short of this volume in subsequent titrations, and add the last milliliter or so dropwise. Your instructor will show you how to control the stopcock of the buret to facilitate this. Note that the volume measurements in titrations are usually reported to four significant figures, so the concentrations are usually reported to four significant figures as well. Watch this in your work; when you calculate molar masses, make sure you have four significant figures.

Equipment

  • 1 10.0 mL graduated cylinder
  • 1 30 mL beaker
  • 1 100 mL beaker
  • 1 25 mL buret
  • 1 ring stand and buret clamp
  • 2 125 mL Erlenmeyer flasks
  • 1 deionized water squirt bottle

Reagents

  • ~50 mL 0.5 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
  • ~25 g commercial vinegar (HC2H3O2)
  • ~1 mL phenolphthalein solution
  • deionized water

Safety

NaOH is corrosive. It can attack the skin and cause permanent damage to the eyes. If NaOH solution splashes into your eyes, use the eyewash immediately. Hold your eyes open and flush with water. If contact with skin or clothing occurs, flush the affected area with water. Have your lab partner notify your instructor about the spill.

Waste Disposal

Dispose of all solutions as directed by your instructor.

Prior to Class

Please read the following sections of the Introductory Material: Please review the following videos:

Lab Procedure

Please print the worksheet for this lab. You will need this sheet to record your data.

PDF file