Elmir Manafov

Unit 1 - Being Scientist

Lab rules and techniques
(Titration)
 Chemistry is a magical science

Who is a scientist?
According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, a scientist is a person who studies one or
more of the natural sciences (= for example, physics, chemistry and biology). A scientist
acts similar to a detective (MYP1 Science subject). A scientist adds and improves
knowledge about the world around us and ourselves. Over a long-time period, scientists
all over the world from different nations have developed a scientific methodology which
gives an opportunity to conduct a scientific investigation in a way that can result in scientific knowledge. What is
this methodology and how it works is the topic of this unit.

Can you state the name of the most important scientist according to you and explain why you think he/she is the
most important one?

Scientific Method

The scientific method can be explained step by step as follows:

 The scientist asks a question about the world around or determines a problem
 Does background research
 Makes a hypothesis about the problem or question asked which can be tested by an experiment
 To test the hypothesis an experiment is designed. The experiment procedure has to follow a logical
approach and be repeatable by any other person

A designed experiment is conducted to collect accurate data and to interpret it. The scientist takes
measurements and presents the measurements in a useful format such as drawings, explanations, tables
and graphs. These measurements become data

 According to the results of the experiment, the scientist draws conclusions and tests the validity of the
hypothesis. The conclusion must be objective and the data is
never forced to fit your hypothesis.

 The decision is made whether the hypothesis explains the

collected data accurately

 If the data fit the hypothesis of the scientist, the hypothesis is

verified by repeating the experiment or getting someone else to
repeat the experiment.

 If your data does not fit the hypothesis, the scientist performs more background research and makes a
new hypothesis.

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 Chemistry is a magical science

Hypothesis and Aim

As it is understood from the above description to make a hypothesis is a crucial step in the scientific method.
Hypothesis summarizes an aim and question of the investigation which probably will consist of several
experiments. A hypothesis should be specific and should relate directly to the question you are asking. For
example, if your question about the world was, why rainbows form, your hypothesis could be: Rainbows form
because of light shining through water droplets. After formulating a hypothesis, it needs to be tested through
experiment. A complete hypothesis has three parts. The statement follows: “If ____, then ____, because
____.” The variable, desired result, and rationale are the three elements of your hypothesis that should be
researched, drafted, and documented prior to building and setting an experiment live. Here are some
examples:

 If the temperature of the gas is increased than the volume of the gas will increase
 If the length of the pendulum increases then the period of the swing will increase.

Make a hypothesis about the success of a student. State some reasons that
can be cause for success.

After the hypothesis, an experiment level is the next. In this level, different experiments are conducted to
investigate different aspects of the hypothesis. Each experiment will have an aim, equipment needed and a
procedure. Each experiment will have the following parts:

Aim: A brief sentence describing the purpose of the

experiment.

Apparatus: A list of the apparatus.

Method: A list of the steps followed to carry out the experiment.

Results: Tables, graphs and observations about the

experiment.

Discussion: What your results mean.

Conclusion: A brief sentence concluding whether or not the aim was met.

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 Chemistry is a magical science

Summarize the relationship between hypothesis and an aim. State similarities and differences

Algorithm of a scientific method

Check if the algorithm your explanations about the relationship of hypothesis and aim. Identify evidence for
your explanation:

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Equipment in the lab

In a chemistry lab, we need some equipment. Below some of the very important ones for high school lab
are shown:

Prepare a simple PowerPoint presentation explaining the function of the equipment shown above. Submit the
document to the managebac:

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 Chemistry is a magical science

Titration as an experimental method

One of the most famous methods of chemistry is titration. Titration allows for one to determine the endpoint of
a reaction and quantity of reactant used to achieve it. Titration generally involves a burette (to deliver precise
amounts of the titrant) and a flask (generally an Erlenmeyer flask) containing the solution. An indicator that
changes colour is used to determine when the equivalency point has been crossed once a sufficient quantity
of the titrant has been added. Sometimes, a pH meter will be used to detect the endpoint rather than an
indicator.

Write the explanations of the following terms:

pH meter-
indicator-
endpoint-
titrant-

For determining an accurate volume of titrant the experimenter needs to read meniscus.
A meniscus is shown in Fig 1. The dotted line shows the meniscus. Define meniscus
with your own words:

Fig. 1.
Titration is based on the neutralization reaction. During the neutralization reaction, a
base reacts with acid and according to this colour of the indicator changes. If the acid is analyzed than the
base is in the burette and the acid has an indicator. If the base is analyzed then, everything is vice versa. The
molar concentration (mol·dm-3) of the analyzed solution is intended to be determined. The concentration of the
solution in the burette is known beforehand. During the titration, the used volume of the chemical from the
burette is recorded and according to that determined volume, the concentration of the analyzed solution is
calculated. For this, we need to apply our stoichiometry skills and the formula of the molar concentration. The
symbolic reaction equation is as follows:

𝐻𝐴 + 𝐵𝑂𝐻 → 𝐻 𝑂 + 𝐵𝐴

The formula for molar concentration is as follows:

𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝐶=
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒(𝑑𝑚 )

C is molar concentration and unit is molarity - M. The used volume of chemical from the burette is converted to
dm-3 and multiplied with the known concentration and the used mole is calculated. By applying stoichiometry,
the mole of the analyzed chemical is calculated and divided by the known volume in dm-3. The result is the
concentration intended to calculate.
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 Chemistry is a magical science

Summative task 1:
Titration was introduced during the
unit as a method of scientific
investigation. As a summative task,
you are asked to design an
experimental procedure to
investigate the concentration of an
unknown solution by applying
titration. Your titrant will be acid
with the formula of HA.

1) Explain the problem that is

going to be investigated by the
experiment

2) Formulate an aim of the

experiment in the form of the
hypothesis by using correct
scientific reasoning

3) Clearly, describe the steps of

the experiments. Formulate a
procedure

4) Make a table that will be used

for collecting data at least for three
trials

5) Describe clearly which data will

be relevant and sufficient. Explain
how the errors can be corrected.

5) Give an explanation of how the

unknown concentration will be calculated. Make a formula for the calculation.

7) Include the safety precautions that are needed during the experiment.