IBDP CHEMISTRY

Titration of Acids and Alkali

Name: Sheldon Goh



Date: 6
th
March 2014



IA Criteria Assessed: Manipulative Skills (MS), Data Collection and Processing
(DCP)


Declaration
I declare that this report I have submitted is my own original work and I have
acknowledged the use of words or ideas of another person.



Signature: _______________


Marks: _____________
















AIM
To determine the water of crystallization of a diprotic acid by titration against a base.

BACKGROUND
Many substances that we use are either acidic or basic. Because acids and bases can
neutralize each other, that gives us a strategy for finding the unknown concentration
of an acid or a base when we know the concentration of the other one. Acids react
with bases in a stoichiometric process we call neutralization. Generally, the products
of these reactions are some type of salt and water.
H
+
(aq) + OH
-
(aq) H
2
O (l)
Hydrochloric acid reacts with Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) in this fashion:
HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCl (aq) + H
2
O
In this simple example, both the acid and base are strong electrolytes and the salt
produced is very soluble in water. The salt is also neutral since there is no tendency
for the ions to accept or donate protons in the reaction mixture (i.e., no hydrolysis
occurs) and this at the stoichiometric end of the reaction (the equivalence point), the
mixture will have a pH of 7. The end point can either be detected using a pH probe or
an indicator, which changes colour according to pH change. Similar process can be
used to determine the end points of neutralization of polyprotic acids or bases.
In this experiment, you will be determining the number of moles of water of
crystallization in Oxalic Acid [(COOH)
2
.xH
2
O] by following the traditional methods
of titration against NaOH solution.

SAFETY
Oxalic Acid is naturally occurring, therefore is not an environmental hazard. Disposal
of all chemicals can be down the sink. Take care not to splatter the solutions on your
skin or eyes. Wear safety gear throughout the experiment.


APPARATUS AND CHEMICALS

Oxalic Acid crystals [(COOH)
2
.xH
2
O]

1.0M Sodium Hydroxide solution (NaOH)

Phenolphthalein indicator

DI water

Volumetric flask (250cm
3
)

Conical flask

Burette

Retort stand

Pipette

Measuring cylinder

White tile

Beaker

Safety goggles and gloves

METHOD

1. Weigh out exactly 1.50g of Oxalic Acid crystals and dissolve with water and
make up its volume in a 250ml volumetric flask. Fill this in the burette and
attach to a retort stand.
2. In a clean conical flask, pipette out 25.00ml of NaOH solution and add 1-2
drops of the phenolphthalein indicator.
3. Titrate against the Oxalic Acid solution in the burette until you notice a colour
change.
4. Repeat the titration for 3 concordant values. Tabulate the results in a neat
tabular column.
































Collection of raw data

Quantitative data Qualitative data
Mass of Oxalic crystals: 1.50g (0.01g) Oxalic Acid before dissolving in water:
Whit, powdery crystals
Volume of Oxalic acid solution prepared:
250.00cm
3
(0.15cm
3
)
Oxalic acid when dissolved in distilled
water: colorless
Volume of NaOH used in conical flask:
25.00cm
3
(0.03cm
3
)
Color of NaOH: colorless
Initial reading in burette:
0.00cm
3
(0.05cm
3
)
Color of solution when phenolphthalein
indicator is added to NaOH:
Pale pink
At end point of reaction



Trail 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Initial reading in
burette (0.05cm
3
)
0.00 0.00 0.00
Final reading in
burette (0.05cm
3
)
25.6 25.4 25.6
Volume of oxalic
acid used in the
reaction
(0.10cm
3
)
25.6 25.4 25.6

Processing of raw data

Balanced equation: (COOH)
2
(aq) + 2NaOH (aq) (COONa)
2
(aq) + 2H
2
O (l)

Mass of oxalic crystals used: 1.50g (0.01g)

Processed data Uncertainty
Average volume of oxalic acid used in
reaction:
(25.60+25.60+25.40)
3

= 25.533334
Uncertainty of oxalic acid used:
(0.10+0.10+0.10)
3

=0.10
Volume of oxalic acid used: 25.54 0.10cm
3

Moles in NaOH:

25.00
1000
0.1
= 0.0025
Uncertainty of moles of NaOH:
0.0610
-3

= 0.00006
Moles of NaOH: 0.00250 0.00006 mol
Moles in 25.54 cm
3
of (COOH)
2
:
0.0025
2

=0.00125

Uncertainty of moles of (COOH)2
0.00006
2

= 0.00003
Moles in 25.54 cm
3
of Oxalic acid: 0.00125 0.00003 mol
Moles in 250cm
3
of oxalic acid:
0.00125
250
25.54

=0.01223571
=0.0122(3.s.f)
Uncertainty of moles in 250 cm
3
of
oxalic acid:
(
0.00003
0.00125
+
0.15
250
+
0.10
25.54
) 0.0122
=0.00034788
=0.000348(3.s.f)
Moles in 250cm
3
of oxalic acid: 0.0122 0.0004 mol
No. of moles of (COOH)
2
in 1.50g = No. of moles in 250cm
3
of Oxalic acid
No. of moles of (COOH)
2
in 1.50g: 0.0122 0.0006 mol
Mass of (COOH)
2
in 1.50g:
0.01222(12.01+16.002+1.01)
= 1.10 (3s.f.)
Uncertainty of mass of (COOH)
2

0.0003482(12.01+16.002+1.01)
=0.03133
=0.03
Mass of (COOH)
2
in 1.50g: 1.10 0.03 g
Mass of water:
1.50-1.10
=0.40
Uncertainty of mass of water:
= 0.01+0.0313
= 0.0413
Mass of water = 0.40 0.04 g
Moles of water:
0.40
18.02

=0.022197
=0.0222(3.s.f)
Uncertainty of moles of water:
0.0413
18.02

=0.002291
=0.00229
Moles of water: 0.0222 0.0023 mol

Moles ratio
(COOH)
2
: H
2
O

0.0122
0.0122
:
0.0222
0.0122

1 : 1.82

x value of xH
2
0 = 1.70

Conclusion and Evaluation

Literature value of x: 2

Percentage error:
2 1.82
2
100%
= 9%
The percentage error of this experiment is 9%