Acids & Bases
Acid-Base Titration Teaching Notes
OVERVIEW
A few words about the choice of indicator for
titrations:
In a neutralization reaction between a strong acid
and a strong base, such as between HCl and
NaOH, the equivalence point will occur at pH 7.0.
Phenolphthalein is commonly used as the indicator
for this reaction, yet it does not undergo a colour
change from colourless (acidic range) to pink
(basic range) until the pH reaches 8.3. But
because the pH change that occurs during this
reaction is very large near the equivalence point
and the colour change of phenolphthalein is so
dramatic, this makes it a good choice as an
indicator to use. The colour change will actually
not occur until the solution is basic, but since this
requires only a small excess of base there will be
no major error in the results.
Another suitable indicator for the HCl – NaOH
titration would be methyl red, which changes
colour under slightly acidic conditions. Methyl red
will be pinkish-red under acidic conditions (4.2 –
6.3) and yellow under basic conditions.
TERMINOLOGY
analyte – the solution undergoing testing; the solution
with the unknown concentration
end point – the point in a titration at which the change
in colour of an indicator signals the equivalence
point. The colour change may not occur exactly at
the equivalence point.
equivalence point – the actual point at which
neutralization occurs, when [H+ ] = [OH-]
standard solution – a solution with a precisely known
concentration
titrant – the solution w ith the known concentration
titration – the procedure by which the concentration of
a solution is determined by reacting with a
standard solution
Acid-Base Titration Teaching Notes
PURPOSE
§ To determine the concentration of a solution
of NaOH by titration with a standard solution
of HCl.
§ To determine the concentration of a sample of
white vinegar by titration with a standard
solution of NaOH
SAFETY
Ensure that proper safety precautions are followed.
Mix any leftover acids and bases together to
neutralize, then dispose of by pouring down the
sink with plenty of water.
SOLUTION PREPARATION
To prepare 0.100M HCl solution:
9 mL of concentration (12M ) HCl per liter of
solution
Each student group will require 100 – 125 mL of
the HCl solution.
To prepare 0.200M NaOH solution, the unknown :
8.0 g NaOH per liter of solution
Each student group will require 100 – 125 mL of
the NaOH solution
PROCEDURE
Using Burets
Burets must be cleaned properly before use. It may
be useful to demonstrate proper buret techniques
and have students clean them prior to doing the
lab. After cleaning with detergent solution and a
buret brush, rinse well with tap water, then with
distilled water.
A clean buret should not have any droplets
adhering to the interior walls - when glass is clean,
water wets it evenly.
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 Prior to starting the titration the burets should be
rinsed with about 10 mL of the acid or base
solutions they will contain during the titration.
After use, drain and rinse burets several times with
tap water, with a final rinse using distilled water.
Since glass reacts with basic solutions, rinse the
burets that contained a base with a dilute acid after
the first water rinse.
Students may need practice in correctly reading
volumes from the buret. A white card with a black
marking or rectangle, drawn with a felt-tip marker,
will make reading the buret easier.
photo: Oliver Seely
End Point
It is important that students understand that
the end point of the titration is reached as
soon as a permanent colour change is seen.
A common error is to continue adding the
solution with unknown concentration until a
deep colour is reached.
If you do go past the end point, add a few
drops of acid (be sure to record the new
volume used), then add more base.
Acid-Base Titration Teaching Notes
CONCLUSIONS AND QUESTIONS
1. How did the results for each of your trials for the
titration of the sodium hydroxide compare? Were
the results similar or did they vary a great deal?
With proper cleaning and careful techniques the
results for each trial should be very similar. The
results for the first trial may vary considerably as
students use this trial to get an approximate
volume of base required for neutralization.
2. What are some of the major sources of error with
this experiment?
The glassware must be clean before titration is
done.
Incorrectly reading the volume in the buret.
Titrating past the end point – too much base is
added
3. The volume of water added during this experiment
– to rinse droplets of acid from the buret or when
water added to the acid in the flask – does not
affect the calculations and thus does not need to be
accounted for. Why not?
Adding water increases the volume of the solution
in the Erlenmeyer flask, but it also reduces the
concentration. What is left unchanged is the
number of moles of H+ ions in the solution which
is what is stoichiometrically relevant during
neutralization.
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