TABLE OF CONTENT

No.
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2
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7
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9
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11
12
13

Title

Page
2
2
3
3
4
4
5 - 13
14 - 16
17
18
18
19
19

Abstract
Introduction
Objectives
Theory
Apparatus
Procedure
Results
Calculations
Discussion
Conclusion
Recommendations
References
Appendices

ABSTRACT
1

Acetic acid, CH3COOH 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 approximately 6 g of NaOH solid in order to prepare 0.6 M NaOH
solution. This NaOH solution is then titrated with potassium hydrogen phthalate,
KHC8H4O4 or KHP solution which has been prepared by diluting 1.5 g of KHP
granules in 30mL 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 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.

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 21)
Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid. The molecular formula for acetic acid is
CH3COOH. 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.

OBJECTIVES
This experiment is conducted to determine the molarity of a solution and the
percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar by titration with a standardized sodium
hydroxide solution. Furthermore, the students will know how to handle materials,
apparatus and the correct ways to conduct the experiment as well as being careful
to avoid experimental error. Moreover, this experiment also teach the students on
the correct steps to calculate percentage of substance, molarity of solution, and
other calculations involve throughout the experiment.

THEORY
In the titration process, a burette is used to dispense a small, quantifiable
increment of solution of known concentration. In this experiment, the equivalence
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 the strong
base, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is necessary to neutralize 1 mole of the weak acid,
acetic acid (CH3COOH).
The sudden change in the solution pH shows that the titration has reached
the equivalence point. pH is an aqueous solution is related to its hydrogen ion
concentration. pH scale is a method of expressing the acidity or basicity of a
solution. Solution with pH <7 are acidic, pH = 7 are neutral, and pH>7 are basic.
The titration is initiated by inserting a pH electrode into a beaker containing the
acid solution. As NaOH, is incrementally added to the acid solution, some of the
hydrogen ion will be neutralized. As the hydrogen ions concentration decreases,
the pH of the solution will gradually increase. When sufficient NaOH is added to
completely neutralize the acid, the next drop of NaOH added will cause a sudden
sharp increase in pH. The volume of based required to completely neutralized the
acid is determined at the equivalence point of titration.
In the first set of titration, a procedure called standardization is conducted to
determine the concentration of the NaOH solution, which is difficult to prepare an
accurate concentration. In this experiment, titration of a vinegar sample with a
standardized NaOH solution will be performed. To standardize the NaOH solution, a
primary standard acid solution is initially prepared. In general, primary standard
solutions are produce by dissolving a weighed quantity oa pure acid or base in a
known volume of a solution. Primary standard acid or bases have several common
characteristics :
They must be available in at least 99.9 purity
They must have high molar mass to minimize error in weighing
They must be stable upon heating
They must soluble in the solvent of interest
Potassium hydrogen phthalate, KHP and oxalic acid are common primary
standard acids. Sodium carbonate is the commonly used base. Most acids
and bases are mostly available in primary standard form. To standardized one
3

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 KHP. Once the NaOH solution has been standardized it will be
titrated with 10.00 mL aliquots of vinegar. Knowing the standardized NaOH
concentration, we can determine the molarity and percent by mass of acetic
acid in the vinegar solution.

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

pH meter

NaOH solution

analytical balance

vinegar

burette clamp

potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP)

beaker (100, 250 mL)

droppers

filter funnel

glass rod

pipette 10mL

spatula

distilled water

burette

PROCEDURE
PART A : STANDARDIZATION OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION
1. 250mL of approximately 0.6M sodium hydroxide solution was prepared from
NaOH solid. The solution was prepared in a beaker; the calculation was
checked with the laboratory instructor to prepare the solution.
2. A beaker was placed on the balance and tare. 1.5g of KHP was added to the
beaker. The mass of KHP was recorded to the nearest 0.001g. 30mL of
distilled water was added to the beaker and the solution was stirred until the
KHP dissolved completely.
3. This solution was titrated with NaOH and the pH with 1mL additions of NaOH
solution was recorded.
4. Steps 1 to 3 was repeated and two more solutions for NaOH standardization
was prepared.
5. The graph oh pH versus NaOH was plotted and the volume of of NaOH
required to neutralize the KHP solution in each titration was determined from
the graph.
6. The molarity of sodium hydroxide for titrations 1, 2, and 3 was calculated.
7. The average molarity of the sodium hydroxide solution was calculated.

PART B : MOLARITY OF ACETIC ACID AND MASS PERCENT IN VINEGAR

4

1. 10mL of vinegar was transferred to a clean, dry 250mL beaker using a 10mL
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

volumetric pipette. 75 to 100mL of water was added into the beaker to cover
the pH electrode tip during titration.
1mL of NaOH was added to the vinegar solution and the pH was recorded.
The above steps was repeated twice more.
The graph of pH versus NaOH volume added was plotted and the volume of
NaOH required to neutralize the vinegar in each titration was determined
from the graph.
The molarity of acetic acid in vinegar for titrations 1, 2, and 3 was
calculated.
The average molarity of acetic acid for each titration was calculated.
The percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar for titrations 1, 2, and 3 was
calculated.
The percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar was calculated.

RESULTS
PART A : STANDARDIZATION OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION
Mass of potassium acid phthalate used : 1.500g
Titration 1 :

KHP Titrated with NaOH

14
12
10
8
pH

Volume of NaOH

Linear (Volume of NaOH)

6
4
2
0
0

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

Based on graph, molarity of NaOH solution for titration 1 = 0.3498 M

Volume of
NaOH (mL)

PH

Volume of
NaOH (mL)

pH

5.10

13

6.22

5.28

14

6.30

5.38

15

6.38

5.48

16

6.50

26

5.56

17

6.62

5.66

18

6.76

5.74

19

6.96

5.82

20

7.28

5.90

21

8.96

10

5.98

22

12.66

11

6.06

23

12.92

12

6.14

24

13.10

Titration 2 :

KHP Titrated with NaOH

14
12
10

Series 1

Linear (Series 1)

6
4
2
0
0

10

12

14

16

18

Based on graph, molarity of NaOH solution for titration 2 = 0.5665 M

Volume of
NaOH
(mL)

PH

5.17

Volume
2 of
NaOH
3
(mL)

PH
5.34

4
1

5.62
5.18

5
2

5.76
5.30

6
3

5.90
5.42

7
4

6.01
5.58

8
5

6.16
5.70

9
6

6.27
5.87

10
7

6.45
5.96

11
8

6.65
6.12

12
9

6.98
6.24

13
10

8.07
6.40

14
11

13.02
6.48

12

6.60

13

6.72

14

6.84

15

6.96

16

7.20

17

8.08

18

12.98

19

13.08

20

13.30

Titration 3 :
Based on graph, molarity of NaOH solution for
titration 3 = 0.4329 M

5.49

Overall results :
Titration 1

Titration 2
7

Titration 3

Mass of KHP (g)

Volume of NaOH
used to neutralize
the KHP solution
(mL)

1.500

1.504

1.503

21.00

13.00

17.00

PART B : MOLARITY OF ACETIC ACID AND MASS PERCENT IN VINEGAR

Mass of acetic acid solution : 10.00g
Titration 1 :
Graph of pH versus volume of NaOH for titration 1

14
12
10
8
Series 1
Linear (Series 1)

6
4
2
0
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

Based on the graph ;

Molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 1 = 1.26 M
Percent of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 1 = 7.57%

Volume of
NaOH
(mL)

PH

Volume of
NaOH
(mL)

pH

3.10

19

4.80

3.36

20

4.86

3.63

21

4.94

3.70

22

5.01

3.84

23

5.12

3.93

24

5.20

4.00

25

5.26

4.09

26

5.44

4.16

27

5.59

10

4.23

28

5.86

11

4.30

29

6.90

12

4.37

30

11.01

13

4.42

31

11.53

14

4.49

32

11.72

15

4.56

33

11.88

16

4.61

34

11.97

17

4.68

35

12.03

18

4.74

Titration 2 :

10

Series 1
14
12
10
Series 1

Linear (Series 1)

6
4
2
0
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

Based on the graph ;

Molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 2 = 1.2465 M
Percent of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 2 = 7.49%

Volume of
NaOH
(mL)

PH

Volume of
NaOH
(mL)

pH

3.25

17

4.75

3.44

18

4.84

3.63

19

4.92

3.75

20

5.06

3.86

21

5.13

3.96

22

5.18

4.05

23

5.31

4.13

24

5.43

4.23

25

5.61

10

4.29

26

5.89

11

4.36

27

7.05

11

12

4.43

28

8.50

13

4.50

29

11.52

14

4.56

30

11.74

15

4.62

31

11.88

16

4.71

32

11.97

Titration 3 :

Series 1
14
12
10
Series 1

Linear (Series 1)

6
4
2
0
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

Based on the graph ;

Molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 3 = 1.206 M
Percent of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 3 = 7.24%

Volume of
NaOH

PH

Volume of
NaOH
12

pH

(mL)

(mL)

3.27

17

4.89

3.70

18

4.98

3.78

19

5.04

3.82

20

5.15

4.00

21

5.23

4.06

22

5.36

4.12

23

5.58

4.17

24

5.86

4.31

25

7.70

10

4.37

26

8.20

11

4.46

27

8.90

12

4.52

28

11.13

13

4.59

29

11.48

14

4.67

30

11.75

15

4.74

31

12.00

16

4.82

32

12.04

Overall result :
Volume of NaOH
used to neutralize
the vinegar
solution (mL)

Titration 1

Titration 2

Titration 3

28.00

27.70

26.80

CALCULATIONS
13

PART A : STANDARDIZATION OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION

No. of moles of NaOH = 0.25(0.6) = 0.15 mol NaOH
Molecular weight of NaOH = 23+16+1 = 40g/mol
Mass of NaOH = No. of moles NaOH x Molecular weight of NaOH
= 0.15g x 40g/mol
Mass of NaOH = 6.0369g
Titration 1 :
No. of moles of KHP =
0.007346 mol of KHP

_______ ____Mass of KHP _(g)_____________ = _____1.5 g______ =

Molecular weight of KHP(g/mol) 204.1 g/mol

1 mol of KHP = 1 mol of NaOH

0.00746 mol of KHP = 0.00746 mol of NaOH
Molarity of NaOH (M) =

_moles of NaOH_(mol) = 0.007346 mol = 0.3498 M of NaOH

Litre of solution(L)
0.021 L

Titration 2 :
No. of moles of KHP =
0.007365 mol of KHP

_______ ____Mass of KHP _(g)_____________ = _____1.504 g______ =

Molecular weight of KHP(g/mol)

204.1 g/mol

1 mol of KHP = 1 mol of NaOH

0.007365 mol of KHP = 0.007365 mol of NaOH
Molarity of NaOH (M) =

_moles of NaOH_(mol) = 0.007365 mol = 0.5665 M of NaOH

Litre of solution(L)
0.013 L

Titration 3 :
No. of moles of KHP =
0.007360 mol of KHP

_______ ____Mass of KHP _(g)_____________ = _____1.503 g______ =

Molecular weight of KHP(g/mol)

204.1 g/mol

1 mol of KHP = 1 mol of NaOH

0.007360 mol of KHP = 0.007360 mol of NaOH
Molarity of NaOH (M) =

_moles of NaOH_(mol) = 0.007360 mol = 0.4329 M of NaOH

Litre of solution(L)
0.017 L

Average molarity of NaOH = 0.3498M+0.5665M+0.4329M = 0.4497 M of NaOH

3

14

PART B : MOLARITY OF ACETIC ACID AND MASS OERCENT IN VINEGAR

Molarity of standard NaOH : 0.45 M
Titration 1 :
No. of moles of NaOH = 0.028 L NaOH x

0.45 mol NaOH

= 0.0126 mol NaOH
1 L NaOH solution

No. of moles of CH3COOH = 0.0126 mol NaOH x

CH3COOH

1 mol CH3COOH

= 0.0126 mol

1mol NaOH
Molarity of CH3COOH = 0.0126mol CH3COOH = 1.26 M of CH3COOH
1.1 L solution
Mass of the acetic acid in the solution :
0.01 L CH3COOH x 1.26 mol CH3COOH x 60.06 g of CH3COOH = 0.7568 g of
CH3COOH
1 L NaOH solution
1 mol CH3COOH
Mass of acetic acid solution :
10 mL CH3COOH solution x
solution

1 g CH3COOH solution

= 10.00 g of CH3COOH

1mL CH3COOH solution

Percent by mass of acetic acid in the solution :
Percent mass CH3COOH =
100% = 7.57% CH3COOH

g CH3COOH

x 100% = 0.7568g CH3COOH x

g CH3COOH solution

10.00 g CH 3COOH

Titration 2 :
No. of moles of NaOH = 0.0277 L NaOH x

0.45 mol NaOH

= 0.012465 mol NaOH
1 L NaOH solution

No. of moles of CH3COOH = 0.012465 mol NaOH x

mol CH3COOH

1 mol CH3COOH

= 0.012465

1mol NaOH
Molarity of CH3COOH = 0.012465 mol CH3COOH = 1.2465 M of CH3COOH
0.01L solution
Mass of the acetic acid in the solution :
0.01 L CH3COOH x 1.2465 mol CH3COOH x 60.06 g of CH3COOH = 0.74986 g of
CH3COOH
1 L NaOH solution
1 mol CH3COOH
Mass of acetic acid solution :
15

10 mL CH3COOH solution x
solution

1 g CH3COOH solution

= 10.00 g of CH3COOH

1mL CH3COOH solution

Percent by mass of acetic acid in the solution :
Percent mass CH3COOH =
100% = 7.49% CH3COOH

g CH3COOH

x 100% = 0.7486 g CH3COOH x

g CH3COOH solution

10.00 g CH 3COOH

Titration 3 :
No. of moles of NaOH = 0.0268 L NaOH x

0.45 mol NaOH

= 0.01206 mol NaOH
1 L NaOH solution

No. of moles of CH3COOH = 0.01206 mol NaOH x

mol CH3COOH

1 mol CH3COOH

= 0.01206

1mol NaOH
Molarity of CH3COOH = 0.01206 mol CH3COOH = 1.206 M of CH3COOH
0.01L solution
Mass of the acetic acid in the solution :
0.01 L CH3COOH x 1.206 mol CH3COOH x 60.06 g of CH3COOH = 0.7243 g of
CH3COOH
1 L NaOH solution
1 mol CH3COOH
Mass of acetic acid solution :
10 mL CH3COOH solution x
solution

1 g CH3COOH solution

= 10.00 g of CH3COOH

1mL CH3COOH solution

Percent by mass of acetic acid in the solution :
Percent mass CH3COOH =
100% = 7.24% CH3COOH

g CH3COOH

x 100% = 0.7243 g CH3COOH x

g CH3COOH solution

Average molarity of acetic acid =

10.00 g CH 3COOH

1.260 M+1.2465 M+1.206 M = 1.2375 M

3

Average percent by mass of acetic acid in vinegar = 7.57% + 7.49% + 7.24% =

7.43%
3

16

Discussion
The main objective of this experiment is to determine the concentration as
well as the percentage by mass of acetic acid in vinegar. This experiment was
conducted by using titration method of acetic acid with a standardized sodium
hydroxide solution. The acid and base titration used the Arrhenius theory. This
theory stated that acid are substance which produce hydrogen ions in solution and
bases are substance which produce hydroxide ion in solution.
In preparing the NaOH solution, we prepared the sodium hydroxide solution
by adding NaOH solid with distilled water to be used in the experiment. In order to
make sure that the NaOH solid dissolved completely, we have to shake the flask
thoroughly. Some chemicals can be purchased ina pure form and remain pure over
a long period of time. However, sodium hydroxide absorbs moisture from the air
and often appears wet, thus it is easily contaminated. Thus if a solution of NaOH is
prepared by weighing the NaOH solid, the concentration of the solution may not be
precisely the intended concentration. KHP on the other hand, has a lesser tendency
to absorb water from the air and when dried will remain dry for a reasonable period
of time. KHP is a primary standard. This means that carefully prepared solutions of
known concentration of KHP may be used to determine, by titration, the
concentration of another solution such as NaOH.
In part A, we have to conduct the standardization of NaOH solution by using
titration. In this part, we need to prepare the KHP solution by adding distilled water
to the KHP. Since the KHP need to dissolve completely, so we have to swirl the flask
thoroughly. Based on graph and calculated result, it is shown that the average
volume of NaOH needed to neutralize the primary standard acid is 17.00 mL . The
solution starts to neutralize from pH 5.15 up to 13.24. this is because some of the
hydrogen ions are gradually neutralized with the increment volume of NaOH. Thus,
a sudden sharp increase in pH occurred as sufficient volume of NaOH is added into
the acid solution. Furthermore, the pH at the endpoint of a weak acid-strong base
titration is always greater than 7 because strong base allows hydrogen ions in
weak acid to neutralize more easily.
In part B, we have to analyse of a vinegar solution. Vinegar solution is a
weak acid and it contains acetic acid. Hence, when reacted with NaOH whish is a
strong base it will produce a basic solution. NaOH will ionize completely in the
17

water to form high concentration of hydroxide ion. Meanwhile, acetic acid is a weak
acid. It will dissociate partially in the water to form low concentration of hydrogen
ions. The molarity of acetic acid and the mass percent in vinegar are calculated by
using the average volume of NaOH resulted from the first part of experiment and
with the help of graph plotted based on result from the second part of exeperiment.
The average molarity of acetic acid in vinegar is 1.2375 M and the average percent
by mass of acetic acid in vinegar is 7.43 % . Based on the graph plotted, there is a
sharp increase in pH, from approximately pH 5.5 to pH 11.5 at the equivalence
point. This sharp increase is due to the excess of around one drop of NaOH added
from the burette. So, it is important to dilute the vinegar in order to avoid a very
small yitre, 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.

CONCLUSION
The results in part A of this experiment showed that when the mass oh KHP
is 1.500g, volume of NaOH required to neutralize the acid is 21.00 mL and the
molarity of NaOH solution for titration 1 is 0.35 M. While for titration 2, when the
mass of KHP is 1.504g, volume of NaOH required to neutralize the acid is 13.00 mL
and the molarity of NaOH solution for titration 2 is 0.57 M. for titration 3, when the
mass of KHP is 1.503g, volume of NaOH required to neutralize the acid is 17.00 mL
and the molarity of NaOH solution for titration 3 is 0.43 M. So, the average molarity
ofsodium hydroxide required to neutralize the acid is 0.45 M.
For part B, the molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration is 1.26
M, the percent of acetic acid in vinegar solution for titration 1 is 7.57 % and the
volume of NaOH required to neutralize the solution is 28.00 mL . For titration 2,
molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution is 1.2465 M, percent of acetic acid in
vinegar is 7.49 % and the volume of NaOH required to neutralize the solution is
27.7 mL . And for titration 3, molarity of acetic acid in vinegar solution is 1.206 M,
percent of acetic acid in vinegar is 7.24 % and volume of NaOH required to
neutralize the solution is 26.8 mL . So the average molarity of acetic acid in vinegar
solution is 1.2375 M, average percent of acetic acid in vinegar is 7.43 % and the
average volume of NaOH required to neutralize the solution is 27.5 mL.
Thus, it can be concluded that the greater the mass of solute in the acid
solution, the more concentrated the solution becomes. Hence, the higher the
molarity and more volume of NaOH needed to neutralize the acid.

RECOMMENDATION
18

There are few recommendations and precautions that have to be considered during
conducting the experiment in order to get an accurate value and readings of data.
Firstly, ensure that the tip of burette is filled with NaOH so that no air
bubbles are present in the tip because air bubbles can cause error in the
measurement of the concentration because the actual volume of unknown will be
less.
Secondly, it is better to use an indicator such as phenolphthalein as it color
will change at a pH of ~9.0 rather than using pH meter as using a pH meter is fairly
tedious and it will turns out unnecessary.
Ensure that the position of eye is directly perpendicular to the meniscus
when reading the volume of solution to avoid inaccuracy. Besides that, the swirling
of the solution should be constant while adding the NaOH in order to ensure that
the NaOH is totally dispersed.
It is better to carry out three accurate titration so that the experimental error
is reduced by calculating the average value.
Lastly, the reaction between acid and base should be rapid and without any
side reactions. Thus, if there are any interfering substances, they should be
removed.

REFERENCES
1. Rabiatul Adawiyah Abdol Aziz ; Laboratory Manual . Universiti Teknologi Mara
: Engineering Chemistry Laboratory.
2. Tan,Y.T., Ashy Kumren. (2011) Chemistry for Matriculation. Selangor, Malaysia
: Oxford Fajar.
3. www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/acidbaseeqia/theories.html.
4. http://alpha.chem.umb.edu/chemistry/ch313/Experiment
%204%20vinegar.pdf

APPENDICES
Sample figure of equipments used in this experiment.

19

pH meter

Analytical balance

20

21

22

23