Name_______________________________________

Date_______________

Acid Neutralizing Capacity of an

Antacid
Background
Stomach acid contains hydrochloric acid which aids in food digestion. Excess
stomach acid produces a condition known as acid indigestion or acid reflux.
Commercial antacids containing one or more bases are available to treat this
condition by neutralizing the excess acid in the stomach. The acid neutralizing
capacity (ANC) of an antacid is the amount of acid that it can neutralize. This ANC
can be best measured in the laboratory by a process known as back titration. This
involves dissolving the antacid in an excess of acid and then titrating the acidic
solution against a known concentration of base until the endpoint is reached. The
moles of acid neutralized equals the difference between the moles of acid added
and the moles of base required for the back titration.

For this investigation:

moles of acid neutralized=moles of HCl added moles of NaOH required

(Volume HCl x Molarity HCl ) (Volume NaOH x Molarity NaOH )

moles of HCl neutralized

acid neutralizing capacity per gram of antacid=
grams of antacid

Objectives
1. After completing this laboratory investigation, the student will be able to determine the acid
neutralizing capacity of an antacid.
2. After completing this laboratory investigation, the student will be able to compare the acid
neutralizing capacity of various antacids.

Materials/Equipment (per team)

Antacids, tablets of selected commercial antacids
Beakers, 250 mL (2)
Burettes, 50 mL (2)
Distilled water
Double burette clamp
Electronic balance
Erlenmeyer flask, 125 mL (2)
Funnel (1)
Name_______________________________________
Date_______________

Hydrochloric acid (0.15 M HCl, 100 mL)

Mortar and pestle
Phenolphthalein indicator solution (2 mL)
Ring stand
Sodium hydroxide solution (.2 M NaOH, 100 mL)
Stirring rod

Procedure
1. Choose 4 antacids to investigate. Record their names and the names and
amounts of the active ingredients in each.
2. Use a ring stand with the double burette clamp and two burettes to set up the
titration apparatus. Label one burette acid and the other base. Place a 250
mL beaker under each burette tip.
3. Add 5-10 mL of 0.15 M HCl to the acid burette to rinse the burette and drain
into the 250 mL beaker. Complete the same process with the base burette
using the unknown concentration of NaOH. Discard the acid and base.
4. Obtain an antacid tablet and measure its mass and record in the data table.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush the antacid tablet.
5. Place a clean 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask on the electronic balance and zero or
tare the balance. Add approximately 0.25 grams of the antacid tablet to the
125 mL Erlenmeyer flask and record the mass added to the flask in the data
table.
6. Fill the acid burette with the 0.15 M HCl carefully until the acid is above the
zero mark. Dispense acid from the burette into a discard beaker until all air is
removed from the burette tip and the level of acid is within the graduated
portion of the burette. Record the burette level as the initial burette reading
of HCl. Use the bottom of the meniscus for your burette level reading.
Complete the same process with the base burette using the 0.2 M NaOH.
7. Into the 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask containing the powdered antacid, dispense
approximately 25 mL of the acid. Add approximately 50 mL of deionized
water and 3-5 drops of phenolphthalein solution to the flask and swirl to mix.
Let stand for 10 minutes.
8. Titrate slowly by adding the base into the flask containing the acid with
stirring until a pink color starts to persist in the beaker. Decrease the flow of
base to a slow drop by drop process and continue until the pink color persists
for more than a few seconds.
9. If you overshoot the titration endpoint, slowly add acid drop by drop until the
pink color disappears. Then add base again drop by drop until a faint pink
color persists. Repeat this titration process until one drop of base will cause
the faint pink color to remain.
10.Record the final acid and base burette readings in the data table.
11.Repeat steps 1-9 with three more different antacids.
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Date_______________

Data Table
Molarity of HCl solution __________________ Molarity of NaOH solution
_________________

Antacid 1 Antacid 2 Antacid 3 Antacid 4

Name of
antacid
Name and
mass of active
ingredients

Mass of
antacid tablet
(g)
Mass of
antacid added
to flask (g)
Initial burette
reading for
HCl (mL)
Final burette
reading for
HCl (mL)
Initial burette
reading for
NaOH (mL)
Final burette
reading for
NaOH (mL)

Data Analysis
1. Calculate the volume of HCl dispensed and NaOH required from each trial and
place in the calculations table.
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Date_______________

2. Using the molarity formula, calculate the moles of HCl dispensed in each trial
and place in the calculations table.
3. Calculate the moles of HCl neutralized by the antacid.
4. Calculate the neutralizing capacity of the antacid per gram of antacid.
5. Calculate the neutralizing capacity of the antacid per tablet of the antacid.

Calculations Table
Antacid 1 Antacid 2 Antacid 3 Antacid 4
Volume of HCl
dispensed
(mL)
Volume of
NaOH required
(mL)
Moles of HCl
dispensed
Moles of NaOH
required
Moles of HCl
neutralized by
antacid
Neutralizing
capacity of
antacid per
gram (moles
HCl
neutralized/ g
antacid)
Neutralizing
capacity of
antacid per
tablet

Conclusions

1. Which antacid neutralized the most acid per gram of antacid tablet?
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2. Which antacid neutralized the most acid per tablet?

3. Identify a method to calculate the mass of base neutralized, calculate the

amount of base neutralized, and compare it to the manufacturers value.

4. Compare any claims by the labels on the acids like extra strength or
maximum strength to your results for the antacids tested. Do these terms
match your results?