Title: Back Titration of Ammonia

Aim: To determine the percentage of ammonia in an ammonium salt provided

using a back titration.

Apparatus: Three 250 cm3 conical flasks, 25 cm3 pipette, two 200 cm3 beakers,
one 100cm3 beaker, one 250 cm3 beaker, filter funnel, safety goggles, 50 cm3
burette, red litmus paper, burner, tongs, pipette filler

Materials: screened methyl red indicator, 0.1M ammonium chloride solution, 0.1M
sodium hydroxide solution, 0.1 M hydrochloric acid solution, distilled water

Procedure: All glassware were thoroughly washed cleaned. A 25 cm3 pipette was
then rinsed twice with a small amount of ammonium chloride solution. 25 cm3 of
ammonium chloride was then pipetted into three 250cm3 conical flasks each. 50
cm3 of NaOH was then pipetted into each conical flask, and then placed on burner
to boil. Once the solution in the flask began to boil, and it was noted that the
solution volume decreased; distilled water was added. The vapour escaping the
flask was checked intermittently with a strip of red litmus paper until the vapour no
longer turned a strip of red litmus blue. The flask was then removed from the heat
and was placed under a running stream of water to cool.
Once cooled, 3 drops of methyl red were added to the flask, observations were
noted.
A white tile was placed on the base of the burette stand beneath the burette. The
first flask was placed on the white tile and the solution in it gradually titrated with
HCl from the burette. The burette tap was turned off from time to time to allow
solution on the side of the burette to drain down to the solution. Near the end point
the titration was carried out more slowly, then drop by drop until a single drop from
the burette caused a permanent colour change. The volume of HCl used was
recorded in the table as final volume for the trial titration.
The volume of HCl in the burette was replenished and the other two back titrations
carried out, this time more rapidly, until a volume of about 2.00 cm3 less than the
volume used in the rough titration was run into the titration flask, the tap turned off
and then on to slowly add the HCl to the flask then drop by drop until the end point
was reached. The initial and final volumes of HCl used for each titration was
recorded in the table.