Titration Lab Report

Teacher:

Dr. ​Patraphorn Sanguansat (May)

By:
Nat​ Sarntijaree (Nat)
Phimraphat Soonjun (Pim)
Pornsumrit Tipayaruk (Tonnam)
Sirapassorn Kanoknanthaoing (Nice)
Rattawit Sinsudtipong (Kamu)

Class 1110 & 1108

Date Performed: February 5th, 2020

Date Submitted: February 19th, 2020
 Content

Content 1

Abstract 2

Introduction 3

Experiment 5
Chemicals 5
Lab equipments 5
Flowchart 6

Results 7
Pre Lab Questions 7
Result 9

Discussion 12
Post Lab Questions 12
Discussion 14

Conclusion 15

Suggestion/error 16

References 17

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 Abstract
This experiment was conducted to determine an unknown concentration of the solution.
When the titration reaches the endpoint of titration where the point at which the indicator
changes colour, the amount of the titrant was recorded and used to calculate the concentration.
The lab consisted of HCI (hydrochloric) solution, NaOH (sodium hydroxide) solution as the
titrant and three different indicators; Bromothymol blue, bromophenol blue and phenolphthalein.
Each indicator has a different range of pH which is determined by different colours. The lab
consisted of various lab equipment; Goggles, Gloves and lab coats for primary safety while
operating in the lab. Pipettes and Pipette gun/rubber bulbs used to draw 10 mL of HCl solution.
Burets used to contain titrant which is NaOH. Erlenmeyer flasks used to contain the mixture of
the solution and titrant while titrating. Beaker was used to contain the mix solution of the
solution, titrant and indicator after completing the titration. pH meter used to measure the
mixture solution in the beaker. Clamps & stands used to hold the buret. Lastly, Pens & papers
used to record data. First, we drew 10mL of HCl from the beaker which contains the solution
with pipettes and pipette gun, transferring the solution to the Erlenmeyer flask. After that, drop
the indicator into the Erlenmeyer flask about three to four drops, stir a bit and start to titrate the
solution. Slowly tilt the stopcock on the buret to slowly drop the titrant into the Erlenmeyer flask,
while doing this don’t forget to stir the Erlenmeyer flask or else the solution won’t mix properly
and the solution will be over titrated. After finishing titrating, pour the perfect solution into the
beaker to measure the pH value by using the pH meter. After finishing every step, collect the
data which is the amount of the titrant that has been used and the pH value of the solution for
furthermore benefits. Repeat the steps twice and make sure the amount of the titrant isn’t
different than 1 mL. Repeat every single step with every indicator. The result came out as the
average phenolphthalein mixture with a PH of 7.4, the mixture of Bromophenol blue with a pH
of 5.35, and the mixture of Bromothymol blue with a PH of 6.95. The average concentration of
acid from the lab of Bromophenol blue is 0.09025 which is 0.01275 more than Phenolphthalein
and is 0.01125 more than Bromothymol Blue.

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 Introduction
In chemistry class, we have been learning about chemical reaction between acid and base.
We learned how to use the acid and base constant to help us find the molar concentration. We
got to know about pH, pOH, and the water constant and how they are related. We also learned
how to calculate the concentration of a solution using the given concentration of the reactant.
Therefore, in this experiment, we apply our knowledge into use and experience it with our own
hand on titrating hydrochloric acid with sodium hydroxide.

Neutralization reaction
Neutralization reaction is a chemical reaction which happens when acid and base react
with each other, can be represented as
acid + base → salt + water
The properties of the acid and base that we will be using are when mixed with water, acids yield
hydrogen ions and bases yield hydroxide ion.¹ When a solution is neutralized it means the
amount of base added is equal to the amount of acid.² The water in the product formed from the
reaction between H + or OH − and the salt is neutral. There is no sole ion of either H + or OH −
left so it can’t acquire any basic and acidic property which made the pH of the solution close to
7, depending on the temperature of the solution.³
In the reaction we will be experimenting, the equation can be represented as
N aOH + HCl → N aCl + H 2 O
In this reaction N aOH or Sodium Hydroxide acts as base and H Cl or Hydrochloric Acid acts
as acid which result products of N aCl , a neutral salt, and H 2 O , also known as water.

Titration technique
Titration is a laboratory method of quantitative chemical analysis with the purpose to find
out the concentration of the solution with unknown concentration. In this method, a reagent that
we know the concentration, also called “titrant”, is added to an unknown concentration solution
with known value from the burette to the Erlenmeyer flask.⁴ The calculation uses the data of the
volume of titrant used, the titrant’s concentration, and unknown solution volume to calculate the
concentration. Following the titration curve, the curve with x coordinate representing volume of
titrant and y coordinate representing the pH of the solution⁵, different indicators can be added to
the solution in the Erlenmeyer flask for the different pH solution which will also result in
different colors according to each specific indicator.
In this experiment, the titrant is sodium hydroxide with the concentration of 0.05M and
the solution with unknown concentration is 10 ml of hydrochloric acid. During the experiment,

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we separated into three groups using three different indicators: bromothymol blue, bromophenol
blue, and phenolphthalein, each will be looked into later. We carefully added the sodium
hydroxide in from the burette to the Erlenmeyer flask with the hydrochloric acid until each of
them reach the certain color of each specific indicator then we measured the pH and recorded the
data of the titrant used and used it to calculate the concentration of hydrochloric acid.

Indicators
Indicators or pH indicators are halochromic chemical compounds - compounds that can
change colors reversibly according to the pH. The pH indicators can detect the hydrogen ions
which is why it’s normally used by dropping a small amount into the solution so that the pH of
the solution can be seen visibly.⁶ The clearer the color the indicator has will make it’s easier to
identify the pH and the narrower the pH range will increase the accuracy of the pH. If the pH
measured is more than 7 then the solution is basic, if it’s less than 7 it’s acidic and if it’s exactly
at 7 then it’s neutral.

In this experiment, we used three different indicators: bromothymol blue, bromophenol

blue, and phenolphthalein.

Bromothymol blue
It’s mostly used in measuring substance that pH is around 7 with its pH range of 6.0 - 7.6.
By itself, it’s a aquamarine weak acid. It’s yellow in acidic solution and greenish blue in neutral
solution and blue in basic solution.⁷

Bromophenol blue
It has many usages such as dye and color marker. But for this experiment it’s used as
indicators. It can be used for measuring acidic substances as its pH range is 3.0 - 4.6 - It turns
from yellow to blue at pH 4.6.⁸

Phenolphthalein
By itself it's a weak acid. It’s orange in a highly acidic solution, colorless in acidic until
near neutral solution fuschia(pink) in basic solution, and colorless in highly basic solution(more
than pH 13). The range that we used was 8.2 - 10.0 pH.⁹

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 Experiment
Chemicals
1. HCl solution (Hydrochloric acid)
2. NaOH solution (Sodium hydroxide)
3. Indicators:
a. bromothymol blue
b. bromophenol blue
c. phenolphthalein

Lab equipment
1. Goggles
2. Gloves
3. Lab coats
4. Pipettes
5. Burets
6. Erlenmeyer flasks
7. Beakers
8. Pipette gun/rubber bulbs
9. pH meter
10. Clamps & stands
11. Pens & papers

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Flowchart

6
 Results

Pre Lab Questions

1. How will you know when your titration is finished?

Ans: You can tell that your titration is finished when the solution changes color to the specific
color of the designated indicator that you used.

2. Label the pH scale below with acid, base, and neutral, indicating numbers of each.

​Acid Neutral Base

3. Use an arrow to show the equivalence point.

4. Write the neutralization reaction that occurs between hydrobromic acid(HBr) and
Lithium Hydroxide(LiOH)

Ans: HBr​(aq)​ + LiOH​(aq)​ → LiBr​(aq)​ + H​2​O

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 5. What is the concentration of 10.00 mL of HBr if it takes 16.73 mL of a 0.253M
LiOH solution to neutralize it?

Ans:
HBr​(aq)​ + LiOH​(aq)​ → LiBr​(aq)​ + H​2​O​(l)

M olarity = VMolume
ole

∴ M ole = M olarity × volume

LiOH mol = M x V
= 0.253 M x 0.01673 L
= 4.233 x 10​-3

LiOH : HBr
1:1
4.233 x 10​-3​ mol LiOH : 4.233 x 10​-3​ mol HBr

[HBr] = mol / V
[HBr] = 4.233 x 10​-3​ mol / 0.01 L
= 0.423 M

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 Result
Concentration of NaOH = 0.05M

Phenolphthalein Bromophenol Blue Bromothymol Blue

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 1 Trial 2
Initial buret
0 31.7 0 31.1 17.2 33.1
volume (ml)
Final buret
15.5 47.2 18.1 49.1 33.2 48.7
volume (ml)
Volume of
15.5 15.5 18.1 18 16 15.6
base (ml)
Volume of
0.0155 0.0155 0.0181 0.018 0.016 0.0156
base (L)
Moles of base
0.000775 0.000775 0.000905 0.0009 0.0008 0.00078
(mol)
Acid to base
1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1
mole ratio
Moles of acid
0.000775 0.000775 0.000905 0.0009 0.0008 0.00078
(mol)
Volume of acid
0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
(L)
Acid
concentration 0.0775 0.0775 0.0905 0.09 0.08 0.078
(M)
Average
concentration 0.0775 0.09025 0.079
(M)
pH 7.2 7.4 5.8 4.9 6.9 7.0

The concentration of the HCl is around 0.08M.

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This was one of the perfect runs we had. We got exactly 7.0.

We notice that we have to always whirl around

the flask. As you can see in the picture on the
left, we left the flask in place without any
movement. The NaOH we added starts to build
up in one spot causing that part of the solution to
turn pink. This can get a little confusing and this
is why we have to constant;y swirl the solution
around.

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We also notice that we should keep the mouth
of the flask as close to the tip of the buret as
possible as some drops might get caught on
the side of the glass and not actually reach the
solution.

As for in the pictures below, we observed that

it was really easy to over titrate. Even one
drop could change the whole solution.

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 Discussion

Post Lab Questions

1. How would it affect your result if you used a beaker with residual water in it to
measure out your standardized sodium hydroxide solution?

If we used a beaker with residual water in it to measure out our standardized NaOH
solution, then the concentration of our solution will be affected. The water will decrease the
concentration of our solution, in other words, it will dilute our solution.

2. How would it affect your results if you used a wet Erlenmeyer flask instead of a dry
one when transferring your acid solution from the volumetric pipette?

If we used a wet erlenmeyer flask instead of a dry one then we would be diluting the acid
and it turn, it would affect the pH of the solution as well as the speed of the reaction.

3. How do you tell if you have exceeded the equivalence point in your titration?

To tell if you exceeded the equivalence point, you will observe when you reach the
equivalence point first. If you do, the color will rapidly change and once you exceed the point,
the color will be more and more saturated.

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 4. Vinegar is a solution of acetic acid (CH​3​COOH) in water. For quality control
purposes, it can be titrated using sodium hydroxide to assure a specific %
composition. If 25.00 ml of acetic acid is titrated with 9.08 ml of a standardized
2.293 M sodium hydroxide solution, what is the molarity of the vinegar?
NaOH​(aq)​ + CH​3​COOH​(aq)​ → CH​3​COO⁻Na⁺​(aq)​ + H​2​O​(l)

M ole
M olarity = V olume

25.00ml of acetic acid (given)

=0.025L of acetic acid

9.08ml of 2.293M NaOH (given)

=0.00908L of NaOH

0.00908L x 2.293M = 0.02082044mol of NaOH

Since NaOH is a strong base, it will 100% dissociate into its components.
NaOH​(aq)​ → Na⁺​(aq)​ + OH⁻​(aq)
0.02082044mol of NaOH will produce the same amount of OH⁻ ions.

To completely neutralize the acetic acid, we required 0.02082044mol of OH⁻. Which means that
the same amount of H⁺ is produced. (we don’t need to care if it’s weak or strong acid, it will
eventually be used up).

Now we know that we have 0.0282044mol of H⁺ ions, hence there is 0.0282044mol of acetic
acid.

0.0282044mol of acetic acid in 0.025L.

=0.0282044/0.025
=​1.128M acetic acid is used

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Discussion
The experiment clearly shows the basis of acid and base reaction. It deals directly with
the use of a base, in this case, NaOH to neutralize an acid HCl. We dealt with three different
indicators namely bromothymol blue, bromophenol blue and phenolphthalein. Each with their
unique color and reactions at different pH values. During the experiment, we added HCl to a
conical flask and slowly dribbled NaOH into it while recording the amount used. These values
would later go on and be used to calculate the concentration of the HCl. During the experiment
however, we did miss a couple of steps like the washing of the glassware. We were not only
under time pressure but also there were cameras everywhere. It was definitely a nerve-racking
experience.
There are many possible sources of error we would like to discuss, but most or all of
them would be considered human errors or user errors. Firstly, because of the time pressure,
most students are likely to forget to wash the buret and pipette with their respective chemical
before starting the experiment. This error could affect our results if there were other chemical
presence in the glass wares that we didn’t know about. Although this is a minor problem, it’s a
problem that we will get better at avoiding it with more practice.
Secondly, the lack of care in using the apparatus, specifically the pipette. Like before,
because we were under time pressure, we tend not to think about it, but when using the pipette,
we must always watch the meniscus. Like stated before, even one drop of a chemical could
change the outcome of the experiment. And if we are not careful, we could be missing ½ or 1 ml
of the solution we needed.
Thirdly, the panic you get when you reach the equivalence point. When you do
experiments, sometimes you can get excited waiting for the solution to change color. But
because you’re excited, when you see a color change, sometimes you can turn the knob the
wrong way and you have to start the experiment over again.
Lastly, and more importantly is communication between group mates. Without proper
communication there are so many things that can go wrong. You might put in the wrong
chemical, you might be using the same indicator as your friends, etc.
Even though there were some mistakes we made during the experiment. It was still a
learning experience for us. We of course learned about the process and the techniques used for
titrating a chemicals as well as the basis of acid base reactions. Other than that, we also got to
use new glasswares like the buret for the first time. We also took away how important PPE is to
protect us, especially when we are dealing with strong acids and base.

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 Conclusion

In conclusion, normally the mixture of phenolphthalein and sodium hydroxide is

supposed to be light pink color and the pH should be around 8.2-10 however in our labs, when
we mixed phenolphthalein mixture with sodium hydroxide, the color turned out to be dark pink
due to over titrating of the sodium hydroxide solution. The average PH value from the lab was
7.4 which was base. For the mixture of Bromophenol blue mixture and sodium hydroxide, it is
expected to give out the transparent grey color with the PH value of 3-4.6, but because of errors
of techniques that we over titrated sodium hydroxide solution it gave out the crystal grey color
and the mean PH value was 5.35 which was acid. Lastly, the mixture of Bromothymol blue
mixture and sodium hydroxide generally ought to be a light green color which we got the exact
same green color for our lab results. The average PH value was 6.95 which meant that the
mixture was near neutral. The average concentration of acid from the lab of Bromophenol blue is
0.09025 which is 0.01275 more than Phenolphthalein and is 0.01125 more than Bromothymol
Blue.

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 Suggestion/error

Although we followed all the instructions with caution we all agreed that some of the
parts in the experiment are improvable due to the error that we perpetrated. First of all, while we
were titrating the solution, we over titrated it which messes up the pH value of the solution. We
repeat the titration step again. To make sure whether the solution won’t be over titrate or not, we
drop the titrant slowly and steadily. We repeated the steps twice to make sure the amount was
right. As we were titrating, the solution only needed a half of a drop of the titrant, due to this
problem we used water to rinse the half a drop down to the Erlenmeyer flask. As we all know,
water can ionize into H + and OH − as the equation below.
H 2 O ⇋ H + + OH −
the pH value of the solution will be off a little bit but doesn’t affect the solution much to even
change the pH value of the solution but we still considered this as an error due to that we could
avoid it.

The second error that we have faced which occurred by the confusion of communication is that
we drop the wrong indicator to the acid. Not only wasted our time but also wasted our resources
to complete the lab. In fact, it doesn’t affect that much but also considered as an error due to that
we could avoid it.
The third error that we have faced is that the glassware was contaminated with another substance
which is mostly water. As mentioned above, water can ionize into H + and OH − which causes
the imperfect pH value of the solution. Anyway, the error doesn’t affect much due to the fact that
the pH isn’t off that much, only a decimal point. However, the problem was also considered an
error due to the fact that we could avoid it.

In the future, we could improve the lab by avoiding silly mistakes and the confusion of
communication by;
-Make an easy ,understandable flowchart for the preciseness of the lab
-Make acquaintances with the flowchart as well as remember all the steps in order to perfect the
lab and cause less error.
-work as a team, help each other out
-ask the lab instructor/supervisor for an assistant every time we faced the problem
-always record and update the data.

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 References
1) https://www.ck12.org/chemistry/acid/lesson/Properties-of-Acids-MS-PS/
2) https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/S
upplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Acids_and_Bases/Acid%2F%2FB
ase_Reactions/Neutralization
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutralization_(chemistry)#Meaning_of_"neutralization"
4) https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Ancillary_Materials/Demos%2C_Techniques%2C_and_E
xperiments/General_Lab_Techniques/Titration
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titration
6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH_indicator
7) ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromothymol_blue
8) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromophenol_blue
9) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenolphthalein

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