EXPERIMENT NO.

3
DETERMINTATION OF ACID CONTENT IN COMMERCIALLY AVAILABE
PRODUCTS

OBJECTIVES:
1. To be familiar with concepts of neutralization reactions
2. To know the proper technique in acid-base titration
3. To determine the percent tartaric acid and citric acid in commercially available
products such as wine and fruit juice.

BACKGROUND:
NEUTRALIZATION TITRATIONS
With standard solutions of strong acids or bases neutralization titrations are performed.
By slowly adding a standard solution from a burette or other liquid dispensing device to a
solution of the analyte until the reaction between the two is complete the titration is performed.
EFFECT OF ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE ON NEUTRALIZATION
REACTIONS
Water in equilibrium in the atmosphere is about 1 x 10-5 M in carbonic acid as a
consequence of the equilibrium
CO2(g) + H2O H2CO3(aq)
At this concentration level, the amount of 0.1 M base consumed by the carbonic acid in a
typical titration is negligible. With more dilute reagents (< 0.05 M), however, the water used as a
solvent for the analyte and in the preparation of reagents must be freed of carbonic acid by
boiling for a brief period.

MATERIA SAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS):

SODIUM HYDROXIDE (NaOH)
HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION:

NAOH has potential acute and chronic health effects. This can be hazardous in
case of skin contact, eye contact, ingestion and inhalation for the reason that its
substance is toxic in our lungs.

FIRST AID MEASURES:

In case of eye and skin contact immediately flush eyes and skin with plenty of
water (Cold) for at least 15 minutes. The irritated skin must be covered with
emollient and seek medical attention. For serious skin contact wash with a
disinfectant soap and cover the contaminated skin with an anti-bacterial cream.
If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If
breathing is difficult, give oxygen. For serious inhalation evacuate the victim to a
safe area as soon as possible. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or
waistband. If breathing is difficult, administer oxygen. If the victim is not
breathing, perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
In case of ingestion Do NOT induce vomiting unless directed to do so by medical
personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If large
quantities of this material are swallowed, call a physician immediately. Loosen
tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband.

HANDLING AND STORAGE

Precautions: Keep container dry. Do not breathe dust. Never add water to this
product. In case of insufficient ventilation, wear suitable respiratory equipment. If
you feel unwell, seek medical attention and show the label when possible. Avoid
contact with skin and eyes. Keep away from incompatibles such as oxidizing
agents, reducing agents, metals, acids, alkalis, moisture.
Storage: Keep container tightly closed. Keep container in a cool, well-ventilated
area. Do not store above 23C (73.4F).

METHODOLOGY:

DETERMINATION OF TARTARIC ACID IN WHITE WINE

1. Pipette 25 mL of white wine into a 250-mL volumetric flask and dilute
2. Mix thoroughly and pipette duplicates of 50 mL aliquots into 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask.
3. Add about 50 mL of distilled water.
4. Add 2 drops of phenolphthalein to each flask.
5. Titrate with the standardized NaOH solution from Experiment No. 2
6. Calculate the weight of the tartaric acid in white wine.
7. Solve for the %w/v tartaric acid.
8. Compute for the average %w/v tartaric acid in white wine

DETERMINTAATION OF CITRIC ACID IN FRUIT JUICE

1. Pipette duplicates 10 mL aliquots of fruit juice into a 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask.
2. Add 2 drops of phenolphthalein to each flask.
3. Titrate with the standardized NaOH solution from Experiment No. 1 until the pink color
persists for 30 seconds.
4. Calculate the weight of the citric acid in fruit juice.
5. Solve for the %w/v citric acid.
6. Compute for the average %w/v citric acid in the fruit juice.