Determining Molarity through Acid-Base Titration

Jacob Castano
Robert Padgett
CHEM 1251-L 026
04/07/2015
Introduction: The purpose of this experiment was to determine the molarity through titration, by
slowly adding titrant to the (that is in a buret) to the analyte in order to reach the equivalence
point. By standardizing NaOH, the ability to find the exact moles is then determined through
titration of acetic, and sulfuric acid. This is how the molar ratio is found titrant:analyte. Once the
end-point has been reached through titration an indicator will be signaled, in this case bursts of
pink will signal. Once, the molarity of NaOH has been found, the ability to find the molarity of
the acetic acid (monoprotic acid), which has an unknown concentration, then lastly we do the
same with sulfuric acid and finding the molarity (diprotic acid). The objectives of this
experiment is to locate the molarity of the known concentration which is our NaOH by
standardization, and then using the molarity of NaOH, to then find the molarity of the
monoprotic, and diprotic acids through titration. The objectives is hopefully to get a percent error
in the low range, due to inexperience with titration and hoping that over titration is not an issue.
Procedure: This experiment was broken down into three parts; the first part was standardizing
our known solution (NaOH) in order to find the molarity. The process begins by weighing 1
gram of KHP and then the mass was recorded. Following, the 1 gram of KHP was then dissolved
in an Erlenmeyer flask, then the sides of the flask was wet with distilled water in order to get any
solid off the sides. Once, the KHP was dissolving in the flask, distilled water was added up to the

70-75mL mark on the flask using a wash bottle. Since, KHP is slow to dissolve, when the
solution is titrated it will further be dissolved, so as it continued to dissolve five drops of
phenolphthalein was added to be the indicator. A white piece of paper was used and placed under
the titration flask in order to make the end-point more visible, because a light pink will appear,
when the end point is close. Next, the buret was clamped so that the tip was over the Erlenmeyer
flask, then the base was added to the buret, the base being NaOH, and the initial volume was
recorded. The stopcock was turned on until the flask started to turn a light pink, and then the
stopcock was immediately turned off; the flask was then swirled in order to mix the contents in
the flask. The light pink is the indicator, once the indicator is shown, this means the endpoint has
been reached and it is close to the equivalence point, then a little bit of distilled water was added
to the flask; if the flask turns clear then the titration continues but instead of opening the
stopcock completely drops (one drop at a time) were added slowly until the solution in the flask
turned completely light pink, or until the flask turned light pink for a minute then the equivalence
point had been reached. Now, from this the molarity was calculated of NaOH, and in order to
minimize error this was done two more times, also after each time the molarity was to be
calculated, the buret was filled. Then once this was done, it was done two more times, and each
molarity was found then the average molarity was calculated of NaOH, this was the
concentration of NaOH that would be used to do the rest of the experiment.
Next, after the concentration of NaOH was found, then 2.0 mL of acetic acid, which is the
monoprotic acid, solution was measured using a 10.0mL graduated cylinder. The solution was
then poured into a Erlenmeyer flask and diluted by adding 50mL of distilled water using a
graduated cylinder, by rinsing it with the wash bottle and using the rinses adding 50mL. Once,

this was done, five drops of phenolphthalein were added to the flask, and the flask was then
titrated with NaOH as the base. This was repeated another time.
The third part of the experiment was measuring the molarity of sulfuric acid solution, by
measuring 2.0mL of sulfuric acid (diprotic) using a 10.0ml graduated cylinder. The solution was
then poured into an Erlenmeyer flask, and diluted with 50mL of distilled water, the five drops of
phenolphthalein was added to the flask. It was then titrated until the end point was reached, and
the drops were added one by one until the equivalence point was reached and the volume
recorded in order to find the molarity. This was repeated another time in order to minimalize
error through titration, due to over titration.
Results:
The experiment was broken down into three parts. The first part was figuring the concentrations
of NaOH through titration. In table 1, it shows the data that was collected during the experiment.
The Mass KHP used was the mass that was used during the experiment, the molar mass of
KHP is the molecular weight of each element in KHP, which is 204.22 g/mol. The way moles
was found (in table 1), was by dividing grams of KHP used by the molar mass in order to get the
moles of NaOH. By using the buret it was marked the initial amount of NaOH that was used and
once the reaction reacted then the final amount was marked. Shown by equation 3, is how much
volume of NaOH was used; by subtraction the final and the initial. Then the molarity was found
of NaOH by getting the moles of NaOH and dividing by the volume in liters, as show in equation
1. The M is the concentration, or Molarity that was found using the liters of solution and moles
of the solution, and dividing. Then once the molarities of each trial was found, then each
molarity was added together then divided by the 3 trials and the average molarity of NaOH was
found. Shown in equation 2. In table 2, the same data was collected for Acetic acid, though the

average molarity of NaOH(table 1) was used in table 2, in order to calculate the molarity of
Acetic acid, but since the molar ratio is 1:1, then the moles of Acetic acid and NaOH were the
same. This then gave us the moles of Acetic acid, which we then used the volume of L used of
Acetic acid to find the molarity using equation 1. By finding the molarity of both trials, and by
repeating the process to limit errors of over titration, then the average molarity of Acetic acid
was found. In part 3 of the experiment, NaOH was used to find the molarity of Sulfuric acid. The
same equations were used in table 3, as in Table 2, by using the same molarity of NaOH and
since the mole ratio is 1:2, the molarity of sulfuric acid was found by dividing the moles of
NaOH by 2. As shown in table 2, in order to get the molarity of sulfuric acid as well as using the
equation 1, 2, and 3 in the same process as in Table 2. The molarity of Sulfuric acid was found,
using the titration method, as was found for Acetic, and the concentration of NaOH with KHP. In
equation 4, the percent error calculates the error in the experimental-actual over the actual. But
the numerator must be greater than 0, and once that is found multiply by 100% in order to get the
percentage.
Table 1:Data for the Standardization of NaOH with KHP
Data
Mass KHP used

Trial 1
1.01 g

Trail 2
1.00g

Trial 3
1.01g

(g)
Molar Mass of

204.22

204.22

204.22

KHP (g/mol)
Moles of KHP

.00494

.00490

.00494

used (moles)
Acid:Base

1:1

1:1

1:1

molar ratio
Moles of

.00494

.00490

.00494

NaOH(moles)
Initial Volume

4.26

4.00

2.70

of NaOH(mL)
Final Volume of

30.15

30.40

29.38

NaOH(mL)
Volume of

25.89mL

26.4mL

26.68mL

NaOH used

.02589 L

.0264L

.02668L

(mL,L)
Molarity of

0.191M

0.186M

0.185M

NaOH(moles/L)
Average

0.187M

molarity of
NaOH(mol/L)
%Error

2.09%

Table 2 : How the concentration of Acetic acid was found using NaOH and titration
Data
Molarity of

Trial 1
0.187M

Trial 2
0.187M

NaOH(moles/L)
Initial volume of

4.30mL

3.10mL

NaOH(mL)
Final Volume of

19.30mL

19.15mL

NaOH(mL)
Volume of NaOH used(mL)
Moles of NaOH used

15.0mL
.0028

15.1mL
.0028

(moles)
Acid:Base molar ratio
Moles of Acetic Acid

1:1
.0028

1:1
.0028

(moles)

Volume of Acetic acid used

2.00mL

2.00mL

(mL,L)
Molarity of Acetic acid

.002L
1.4M

.002L
1.4M

(moles/L)
Average Molarity (mol/L)
%Error

1.4M
75%

Table 3:How the concentration of Sulfuric Acid was found using NaOH and titration.

Data
Molarity of NaOH(moles/L)
Initial Volume of NaOH(mL)
Final Volume of

Trial 1
0.187M
1.80mL
14.55mL

Trial 2
0.187M
3..60mL
18.95mL

NaOH(mL)
Volume of NaOH used(mL)
Moles of NaOH used (moles)
Acid:Base molar ratio
Moles of Sulfuric Acid (moles)
Volume of Sulfuric acid used (mL,L)

12.75mL
.0024
1:2
.0012
2.00mL

15.35mL
.0024
1:2
.0012
2.00mL

.002L
0.6M

.002L
0.6M

Molarity of Sulfuric acid (moles/L)

Average Molarity (mol/L)
%Error

0.6M
20%

M=

moles
Liters

Equation 1: Used to find the concentration of a solution.

average molarity=Molarities/(number of trials)

Equation 2: Used to determine the average Molarity of NaOH, by adding each molarity
and dividing by how many trials.
Vf-Vi = Volume used
Equation 3: How we determined how much solution was used by subtracting the final
volume and the initial volume.
experimentalactual
%error=

actual

* 100%

Equation 4: How to determine the percent error

Discussion:
In the first part of the experiment, we had to use KHP in order to standardize and figure out the
concentration of NaOH that was being used. The reason KHP is used is because KHP is
considered a primary standard, which means that KHP is a high purity that is chemically stable
while in the air. NaOH is not stable in the air, this is why KHP was used in order to standardize
NaOH and use it to figure out the concentrations of the secondary standards, Acetic and Sulfuric
acid. Once, the standardization of NaOH happens, then the following secondary standards can be
calculated in order to find the concentration. The function of the standard is to determine the
exact most molarity of the solutions by using the titration method. The precision and accuracy of
the data that resulted, or which can be conclusively found is that both were high due to the
percent error of NaOH being 2.09%, which means it has a high accuracy due to a low percent

error and it also has a high precision because from each trial that was ran the molarities of NaOH
were in the same range; the .191M from trial 1, .186 from trial 2, and .185 from trial 3 show a
high precision. Also, the way we calculated the % error is by using (eq. 4), and getting the
experimental which was the 0.187M of NaOH and subtracting from the actual concentration,
0.191M, and dividing by the actual. The precision and accuracy of acetic acid were low, the
accuracy of acetic acid was low, very low because the percent error was 75% meaning that the
error is very high and skewed. The precision of the data was high, because of the molar ratio
being 1:1 (Acid: Base) and also the volume of NaOH used were in the same range, which means
the molarities of acetic acid would also be in the same range, which gives a higher precision, but
very low accuracy. The reason acetic acid has a high precision is because 1.4M was gained from
both trials, thought they were inaccurate. Also, the molar ratio plays a role due to the moles of
NaOH and the moles of acetic acid being the same, so no changes in moles occurs. The last part
of the experiment is using the data in table 3, to figure out the concentration of sulfuric acid with
the concentration of NaOH, the precision of sulfuric acid was precise because the numbers in
each trial for the concentration were equal to each other. Also, the percent error for Sulfuric acid
was 20% meaning that, it was not as accurate as it should have been, the concentration that was
found for Sulfuric acid was 0.6M, and the actual concentration was 0.5M, this is how twenty
percent was, by using equation 4. So, the sulfuric acid concentration was not as accurate as the
first part of the experiment, because of the error of percent being 20, but it was not totally off.
The molar ration of sulfuric acid to NaOH was 1:2, this means the NaOH moles had to be
divided by two in order to get the moles of Sulfuric acid. To compare, the percent error of each
were scattered, the first part of the experiment had a 2% experiment, the second part had a 75%
error, and the last part had a 20% error. Only one of the 3 parts, was very inaccurate; the first part

of the experiment where KHP was used to find the concentration of NaOH and the finding of
sulfuric acid concentration were accurate. Also, all parts of the experiment had very high
precision, because the molarities came in the same range as one another. In the beginning of the
experiment in order to find the concentration of NaOH, an indicator phenophalene was used
in the experiment as the indicator to determine whether the solution was close to the end point,
which signifies that the equivalence point is also near. When, the solution started to signal light
pink, and disappear that is when the end point is near, and since from the signaling that the end
point was near it was then single drops of NaOH were dropped in order to accurately get the
equivalence point instead of over titrating. The way that this indicator works is based around pH
of the solution, the indicator being a weak acid, and NaOH being a base; NaOH neutralizes the
acid, and once the pH reaches 8.0-9.8 that is when the entire solution turns a light pink.
Conclusion:
To conclude, only 2 out of the 3 achieve the objectives of the experiment. The standardization of
NaOH, and finding the concentration of sulfuric acid were accurate while the finding the
concentration of acetic was very inaccurate. The ability to find the concentration of NaOH, and
using the concentration of NaOH to then find the concentrations of both acids, was a success.
Everything was done as a success from finding the moles, to then using the mole to mole ration
in order to find the moles of acetic and sulfuric acid. Also, figuring out each concentration was
also a success, the only failure was due to a high percent error, meaning that the concentration of
acetic acid was inaccurate in the data that was collected. The most likely error was the
inexperience that came with know and using the titration technique properly, also determining
which is the right amount of pink; the difference between pink and light pink and using the white
paper to differentiate between the two. This is the most likely reason that occurred in the second

part of the experiment in determining the concentration of acetic acid, because the percent error
is super leading to the inaccuracy.
Sample Calculations:
100 =2.08
.191 M
%error=

.187 M .191 M

M=

.00494 moles
=.191 M of NaOH
.02589 L