1

1. Abstract
Acetic acid, CH
3
COOH is an organic compound that is in form of colorless solution and
classified as a weak acid. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar apart from water. In this
experiment, the molarity of a solution and the percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar is
determined by using titration with a standardized sodium hydroxide, NaOH solution. The
experiment is divided into two parts which are standardizing the NaOH solution is the first part
and the second part is proceeded with the determining the molarity of a solution and the percent
by mass of acetic acid in vinegar. In standardizing the NaOH solution, 250 mL of distilled water
is used to dilute NaOH solid in order to prepare 0.6 M NaOH solution. This NaOH solution is
then titrated with potassium hydrogen phthalate, KHC
8
H
4
O
4
or KHP solution which has been
prepared by diluting 6.0 g of KHP granules in 30 mL of distilled water. The experiment is then
preceded to the second part of the experiment which standardized NaOH solution is titrated the
with 10 mL vinegar that has been diluted with approximate 100 mL of distilled water. Both
titration for part 1 and 2 are repeated thrice to get more accurate results. Based on results, it can
be conclude that the greater the mass of solute in the acid solution, the more concentrated the
solution becomes thus, the higher the molarity and more volume of NaOH needed to neutralize
the acid. The experiment is completed and successfully conducted.

2. Introduction
Concentration of solution is the amount of solute in a given amount of solvent. A concentrated
solution contains a relatively large quantity of solute in a given amount of solvent. Dilute
solutions contains a relatively little solute in a given amount of solvent. There are two specific
terms to express concentration, namely molarity and percent by mass:
Molarity is the number of moles of solute per litre of solution.
Molarity (M) = moles of solute
Litre of solution (Equation 2 1)
Percent by mass is the mass in grams of solute per 100 grams of solution
Percent solute = grams of solute X 100%
Grams of solution (Equation 2 1)

2

Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid. The molecular formula for acetic acid is CH
3
COOH.
Both molarity and percent by mass of acetic acid in the vinegar solution can be determined by
performing a titration. A titration is a process in which small increments of a solution of known
concentration are added to a specific volume of a solution of unknown concentration until the
stoichiometry for that reaction is attained. Knowing the quantity of the known solution required
to complete the titration enables calculation of the unknown solution concentration. The purpose
of titration is to determine the equivalence point of the reaction. The equivalence point is reach
when the added quantity of one reactant is the exact amount necessary for stoichiometric reaction
with another reactant.

3. Objectives
To :
(a) Determine the morality of a solution and the percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar
by titration with the standardized sodium hydroxide solution.

4. Theory
In the titration process, a burette is used to dispense a small, quantifiable increment of solution of
known concentration. A typical burette has the smallest calibration unit of 0.1 mL, therefore the
volume dispensed from the burette should be estimated to the nearest 0.05 mL. In this
experiment, the equivalent point occurs when the moles of acid in the solution equals the moles
of base added in the titration. For example, the stoichiometric amount of 1 mole of strong base,
sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is necessary to neutralize 1 mole of weak acid, acetic acid
(CH
3
CO
2
H), as indicated in equation 4 1:

NaOH (aq) + CH
3
CO
2
H (aq) NaCH
3
CO
2
(aq) + H2O (l) (Equation 4 1)

The sudden change in the solution pH shows that the titration has reached the equivalence point.
pH in an aqueous solution is related to its hydrogen in concentration. Symbolically, the hydrogen
ion concentration is written as [H
3
O
+
]. pH is defined as the negative of the logarithm of the
hydrogen ion concentration.
pH = log
10
[H
3
O
+
] (Equation 4 2)
3


pH scale is a method of expressing the acidity or basicity of a solution. Solutions with pH < 7 are
acidic, pH = 7 are neutral, and pH > 7 are basic as shown in Figure 4.2. For example,, a solution
having an H
3
O
+
concentration of 2.35 x 10
2
M would have a pH of 1.629 and is acidic. pH
electrodes will be used in this experiment.

Figure 4.2: pH scale

The titration is initiated by inserting a pH electrode into a beaker containing the acid solution
(pH 3 5). As sodium hydroxide, NaOH, is incrementally added to the acid solutions, some of
the hydrogen ions will be neutralized. As the hydrogen ion concentrated decreases, the pH of the
solution will gradually increase. When sufficient NaOH is added to completely neutralize the
acid (most of H
3
O
+
ions are removed from the solution), the next drop of NaOH added will cause
a sudden sharp increase in pH as shown in Figure 4.3. The volume of based required to
completely neutralized the acid is determined at the equivalent point of titration.


Figure 4.3: Acid base titration curve of weak acid titrated with NaOH
4


In this experiment, titration of a vinegar sample with standardized sodium hydroxide solution
will be performed. To standardize the sodium hydroxide solution, a primary standard acid
solution is initially prepared. In general, primary standard solutions are produce by dissolving a
weighed quantity of pure acid or base in a known volume of solution. Primary standard acid or
bases have several common characteristics:

They must be available in at least 99.9 purity
They must have a high molar mass to minimize error in weighing
They must be stable upon heating
They must be soluble in the solvent of interest


Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid (HC2H3O2) which is one of the many weak acids
used in chemistry. In contrast, there are only seven common strong acids: HCl, HBr, HI, HNO3,
H2SO4, HClO3, and HClO4. The difference between a strong acid and a weak acid is the degree
of dissociation when placed in water. A strong acid is essentially 100% dissociated into H+ (or
H3O+) and an anion when placed in water; a weak acid is less than 100% dissociated. Whether
an acid is strong or weak does not affect its reaction with a base - strong and weak acids both
react swiftly and completely with a base. The concentration seen on a vinegar label is typically
expressed as a mass percent (mass of solute / mass of solution 100). The molarity of vinegar
can be converted to mass percent once the density of the vinegar solution is known. The molarity
of the vinegar provides the number of moles of acetic acid in 1 L vinegar the moles of acetic
acid can be converted to grams acetic acid (solute) while the 1 L vinegar (solution) can be
converted into grams of vinegar (solution). Potassium hydrogen phthalate, KHC
8
H
4
O
4
, and
oxalic acid, (COOH)
2
, are common primary standard acids. Sodium carbonate, Na
2
CO
3
, is the
most commonly used base. Most acids and bases (e.g. HCL, CH
3
COOH, NaOH, and KOH) are
mostly available in primary standard form. To standardize one of these acidic or basic solutions,
titration of the solution with a primary standard should be performed. In this experiment, NaOH
solution will be titrated with potassium hydrogen phathalate (KHP). The reaction equation for
this is:
5


KHC
8
H
4
O
4
(aq) + NaOH (aq) KNaC
8
H
4
O
4
(aq) + H
2
O (l) (Equation 4
3)

Once the sodium solution has been standardized it will be titrated with 10.00 mL aliquots of
vinegar. The reaction equation for vinegar with NaOH is:

CH
3
COOH (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCHCOO (aq) + H
2
O (l) (Equation 4
4)

Knowing the standardized NaOH concentration and using Equation 4 4, the molarity and
percent by mass of acetic acid in the vinegar solution can be determined.



















6

5. Apparatus
Apparatus used in this experiment including descriptions are listed in Table 5.1. Meanwhile,
materials used in this experiment are listed in Table 5.2.

Table 5.1: List of apparatus used in the experiment including its description
No. Apparatus Descriptions
1 Hot plate To assist the stirring of solution in the experiment.
2 Magnetic stirrer To stir the solution.
3 Retort stand To hold the burette.
4 Beaker There are two types of beaker used in this experiment:
I. 250mL beaker
II. 10mL beaker
All solutions used in this experiment were placed in these
beakers.
5 pH meter To measure changes of pH value of the solution.
6 Burette To place the NaOH solution for titration.
7 Weighing balance To weight sufficient amount of materials used in the
experiment.
8 Measuring cylinder To measure and transfer the right amount of solutions needed
from its actual container into the beaker.

Table 5.2: List of materials used the experiment.
No. Materials
1 Sodium hydroxide, NaOH solid.
2 Potassium hydrogen phthalate, KHC
8
H
4
O
4
(KHP) granules.
3 Vinegar.
4 Distilled water.




7

6. Procedure
Standardization of sodium hydroxide solution
1. 250 mL of approximately 0.6 M sodium hydroxide solution is prepared from NaOH
solid. The solution is prepared in a beaker, and the calculation is checked with the
laboratory instructor prior to preparing the solution. The calculations are recorded.
2. A 250 mL beaker is weighed and the mass is recorded to the nearest 0.001g. 1.5
grams of KHP is added to the beaker. The mass of the beaker and KHP is recorded
to the nearest 0.001 g. The mass of KHP by difference is calculated and the data is
recorded. 30mL of distilled water is added to the beaker. The solution is stirred until
the KHP has dissolved completely.
3. This solution is titrated with NaOH and the pH with 1 ml additions of NaOH
solution is recorded.
4. Steps 1 to 3 are repeated to perform a second and third trial to standardize the NaOH
solution.
5. The graph of pH versus NaOH is plotted. The volume of NaOH required to neutralize
the KHP solution in each titration is determined from the plots.
6. The molarity of sodium hydroxide for titration 1 and 2 is calculated.
7. The average morality of sodium hydroxide solution for titration 1 and 2 is calculated.
The resulting sodium hydroxide concentration is used in part B of the
experiment.

Molarity of acetic acid and percent of vinegar
1. 10.00mL of vinegar is transfered to a clean, dry 250 mL beaker using a 10mL
volumetric pipette. Sufficient water is added, 75 to 100 mL, to cover the pH
electrode tip during the titration.
2. 1 ml of NaOH is added to the vinegar solution and the pH is recorded.
3. The steps above is repeated twice more.
4. The graph of pH vs volume NaOH added is plotted. The volume of NaOH required to
neutralize vinegar in each titration is determined from the plots. Data are recorded.
5. The molarity of acetic acid in vinegar for titration 1 and 2 is calculated.
6. The average molarity of acetic acid for each titration is calculated.
8

7. The percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar for titration 1 and 2 is calculated.
8. The percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar is calculated.

7. Results
Standardization of NaOH Solution (KHP)
Titration 1 Titration 2
Mass of beaker (g) 98.4076 g 96.8620 g
Mass of beaker (g) + KHP (g) 99.9080 g 98.3615 g
Mass of KHP (g) 1.5004 g 1.4995 g
Volume of NaOH to neutralize
the KHP solution (ml)
14.1 ml 14.1 ml

Average volume = 14.1 ml

Standardization of NaOH Solution (Vinegar)
Titration 1 Titration 2
Volume of NaOH to neutralize
the vinegar (ml)
22.1 ml 34.1 ml

Average volume = 28.1 ml











9

Titration of NaOH to KHP
Volume of
NaOH/ml Titration 1 KPH/ph Titration 2 KPH/ph
1 4.27 4.28
2 4.46 4.41
3 4.68 4.56
4 4.80 4.65
5 4.83 4.77
6 4.93 4.89
7 5.04 5.01
8 5.15 5.12
9 5.28 5.24
10 5.39 5.39
11 5.55 5.54
12 5.71 5.72
13 6.00 5.98
14 6.43 6.62
15 12.00 12.11
16 12.55 12.60
17 12.74 12.77
18 12.88 12.91
19 12.98 12.98
20 13.02 13.04




10


Graph 1: Graph of pH versus volume of NaOH for titration 1

0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 5 10 15 20 25
K
P
H
/
p
H

Volume of NaOH/ml
Titration 1 KPH/ph
Titration 1 KPH/ph
11


Graph 2: Graph of pH versus volume of NaOH for titration 2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 5 10 15 20 25
K
P
H
/
p
H

Volume of NaOH/ml
Titration 2 KPH/ph
Titration 2 KPH/ph
12


Titration of NaOH to KHP
Volume of
NaOH/ml
Titration 1
Vinegar/pH
Titration 2
Vinegar/pH
1 3.37 3.10
2 3.63 3.42
3 3.82 3.60
4 3.98 3.73
5 4.10 3.85
6 4.22 3.95
7 4.32 4.04
8 4.42 4.12
9 4.5 4.20
10 4.59 4.26
11 4.70 4.34
12 4.76 4.44
13 4.90 4.49
14 4.95 4.51
15 5.09 4.55
16 5.15 4.60
17 5.27 4.65
18 5.35 4.70
19 5.48 4.74
20 5.67 4.80
21 6.03 4.85
22 6.61 4.90
23 11.74 4.97
24 12.23 5.02
25 12.44 5.08
26 5.15
27 5.23
28 5.30
29 5.41
30 5.53
31 5.66
32 5.82
33 6.13
34 6.51
35 11.47
36 12.04
37 12.28
38 12.43
39 12.55
40 12.62
13


Graph 3: Graph of pH versus volume of vinegar for titration 1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
V
i
n
e
g
a
r
/
p
H

Volume of vinegar/ml
Titration 1 Vinegar/pH
Titration 1 Vinegar/pH
14


Graph 4: Graph of pH versus volume of vinegar for titration 2
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
0 10 20 30 40 50
V
i
n
e
g
a
r
/
p
H

Volume of vinegar/ml
Titration 2 Vinegar/pH
Titration 2 Vinegar/pH
15

8. Calculations

8.1 Standardization of sodium hydroxide, NaOH solution

8.1.1 Calculation for preparing 150 mL of approximately 0.6 M NaOH solution

Molarity (M) = moles of solute
Litre of solution
0.6 = moles of solute
(250 X 10
3
)L

Moles of solute = (0.6) (0.25)
= 0.15 mol

No. of moles = mass
Molecular weight of NaOH

Mass = (no. of moles) (MW
NaOH
)
= (0.15) (22.99 + 16.00 + 1.01g)
= 6.00 g











16

8.1.2.2 Molarity of NaOH
Moles of KHP:
1.5004 g KHC
8
H
4
O
4
X 1 mol KHC
8
H
4
O
4
= 0.007348 mol HC
8
H
4
O
4

204.2 g KHC
8
H
4
O
4

Moles of NaOH required neutralizing moles of KHP:
0.007348 mol KHC
8
H
4
O
4
X 1 mol NaOH = 0.007348 mol NaOH
1 mol KHC
8
H
4
O
4


Molarity of NaOH solution:
14.5 mL NaOH X 1L = 0.0145 L NaOH
1000 mL

M = mol of NaOH = 0.007348 mol NaOH = 0.5068 M NaOH
L of solution 0.0145 L NaOH

8.1.2.3 Average molarity of NaOH

M
ave
= (M
1
+ M
2
) / 2
= (0.5068 + 0.5068) / 2
= 0.5068 M NaOH










17




8.2 Molarity of acetic acid and mass percent in vinegar

8.2.1 Sample calculation for average percent by mass of acetic acid if vinegar using data from
titration 1

8.2.1.1 Volume of NaOH needed to neutralize the vinegar
From the graph, volume of NaOH needed to neutralize the vinegar is 22.5 mL

8.2.1.2 Molarity of acetic acid in vinegar

Moles of NaOH that reacted:
22.5 mL of NaOH X 1L = 0.0225 L NaOH
1000 mL
0.0225 L NaOH X 0.5068 mol NaOH = 0.011403 mol NaOH
1L NaOH solution

Moles of CH
3
COOH neutralized by moles of NaOH:
0.011403 mol NaOH X 1 mol CH
3
COOH = 0.011403 mol CH
3
COOH
Mol NaOH

Molarity of CH
3
COOH:
22.1 mL CH
3
COOH X 1L = 0.0221 L CH
3
COOH
1000 mL
M = mol of CH
3
COOH = 0.011403 mol CH
3
COOH = 0.5160 M CH
3
COOH
L of solution 0.0221 L CH
3
COOH



18

8.2.1.3 Average molarity of acetic acid in vinegar

M
ave
= (M
1
+ M
2
) / 2
= (0.5160 + 0.3344) / 2
= 0.4252 M CH
3
COOH

8.2.1.4 Percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar

Mass of acetic acid in the solution:
10 mL CH
3
COOH X 1L = 0.010 L CH
3
COOH
1000 mL
0.010 L CH
3
COOH X 0.5160 mol CH
3
COOH X 60.06 g CH
3
COOH
1 L solution 1 mol CH
3
COOH
= 0.3099 g CH
3
COOH

Mass of acetic acid solution:
22.1 mL CH
3
COOH X 1 g CH
3
COOH solution = 22.1 g CH
3
COOH solution
1 mL CH
3
COOH solution

Percent by mass of acetic acid in the solution = g CH
3
COOH X 100 %
g CH
3
COOH solution
= 0.3099 X 100%
22.1
= 1.4023 %







19

9. Discussion

Sodium hydroxide (a base) is typically used as a standard to determine the concentration of
acids. When an acid and base react, they form salt and water.

acid + base salt + water

The decrease in the concentration of H3O + ions will cause the equilibrium system to shift to the
right and as such more of the weak acid (hydrogen phthalate ion, HP - ) will ionize.
Successive additions of NaOH will continually remove H3O + ions, shift the equilibrium to the
right and force the weak acid into complete ionization.

The aim of this experiment has been successfully achieved as the percent by mass of acetic acid
in vinegar and the molarity of the solution and has been determined by using the titration method
with a standardized sodium hydroxide solution prepared. For the first part of this experiment, to
standardize the sodium hydroxide solution, a primary standard acid solution is initially prepared
beforehand. Sodium hydroxide, NaOH, is used as the base. Potassium hydrogen phthalate,
KHC
8
H
4
O
4
or normally known as KHP, is used as the primary standard acid. In addition to that,
an electronic pH meter was used to obtain the value of pH of the solution. To ensure more
accurate results are obtained, it is necessary to constantly measure the pH of the solution and
record the pH of the solution by keep on immersing the pH meter in the solution.

Based on graph that was plotted and result calculated, it is revealed that the average volume of
NaOH needed to neutralize the primary standard acid is 14.1 mL at average pH of 9.29. As
mention in the theory, solutions with pH less than 7 are acidic, pH equal to 7 are neutral, and pH
greater than 7 are basic. However, the result in this experiment does not exactly parallel with the
theory as the solution gains its equivalence point at average pH of 9.29. In other words, the
solution started to neutralize from pH of 6.525 up to 12.055. The reason being is that because of
some of the hydrogen ions are gradually neutralized with the increment volume of NaOH. Thus,
an immediate sharp escalation in pH occurred as sufficient volume of NaOH is added into the
acid solution. In addition, the pH at the endpoint of a weak acidstrong base titration is always
20

greater than 7 because strong base will always allow hydrogen ions in weak acid to neutralize
more easily.

At the second part of this experiment with using vinegar as a substitute of KHP, there is also a
sudden fluctuation in the pH. In the second the experiment using vinegar, the molarity of acetic
acid and the mass percent in vinegar are determined. The molarity of acetic acid and the mass
percent in vinegar are calculated using the average volume of NaOH resulted from the first part
of the experiment and with the help of graph plotted based on results from the second part of the
experiment. Additionally, it is essential to dilute the vinegar in order to avoid a very small titre,
which would reduce the accuracy of the experiment.

The significance of percent by mass and molarity of solution in this experiment is that it tells
whether the solution is either diluted or concentrated solution. Hence, the acetic acid in the
vinegar is a dilute solution as its percent by mass and molarity are relatively small.

10. Conclusion

From the experiment conducted, the results of the first part of this experiment showed that when
the mass of KHP is 1.5004 g, volume of NaOH required to neutralize the acid is 14.1 mL and the
molarity of NaOH solution for titration 1 is 0.5068 M. While for titration 2, when the mass of
KHP is 1.4995 g, volume of NaOH required to neutralize the acid is 14.1 mL and the molarity of
NaOH solution for titration 2 is 0.5068 M.
Meanwhile, the results of the second part of the experiment showed that molarity of acetic acid
in vinegar solution for titration 1 = 0.5160 M, percent of acetic acid in vinegar solution for
titration 1 = 1.4023 % and the volume of NaOH required to neutralize the solution is 22.5 mL.
For titration 2, molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution is 0.3344 M, percent of acetic acid in
vinegar is 0.5890 % and the volume of NaOH required to neutralize the solution is 34.1 mL.

As a result, it can be established that, the bigger the mass of solute in the acid solution, the more
concentrated the solution becomes. Henceforth, the higher the molarity and more volume of
NaOH needed to neutralize the acid.
21

11. Recommendation

The swirling of the solution should be constant while adding the NaOH. The reason is to ensure
that the NaOH is totally dispersed and mixed well before taking every reading using the pH
meter. Secondly, make sure that the position of eye is directly perpendicular to the meniscus
when reading the volume of solution. The reason is to avoid inaccuracy in the volume entered in
the reaction. Third, it is better to carry out three or more accurate titration. The reason is that the
experimental error is reduces by calculating the average value. Fourth, ensure that the tip of the
burette is filled completely with NaOH so that no air bubbles are present in the tip. The presence
of air bubbles will affect the accuracy of the experiment.