COMMON-ION EFFECT AND BUFFERS

L. WOODS

INSTITUTE OF GROUNDER STUDIES, COLLEGE OF POLARIS

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY 1101, PHILIPPINES
DATE SUBMITTED: FEBRUARY 2016
DATE PERFORMED: 28 JANUARY 2016

1.

Account for the differences in color of Solutions 1 and 2 after adding methyl orange indicator.
0.10 M of CH3COOH and 0.20 M CH3COOH mixed with 0.20M NaCH 3COO have different H+
concentrations. The NaCH3COO lowers the H+ concentration of the acetic acid. Methyl orange has a
range of 3.2 to 4.4. A yellow solution generally means that solution is basic or close to being basic. A
red solution means that a solution is acidic [1]. After the addition of methyl orange indicator,
Solution 1 became peach (or orange-y pink). Solution 2 became yellow. This means that Solution 1
could have a pH of 3.9 or lower while Solution 2 could have a pH of 4.3 or higher. When the
solutions were subjected to a pH meter, Solution 1s pH was 3.20 and Solution 2s was 5.09.

2.

Account for the differences in color of Solutions 3 and 4 after adding phenolphthalein indicator.
The H+ concentrations of 0.10 M NH3 and 0.20 M NH3 mixed with 0.20 M NH4Cl are different. The
NH4Cl increases the H+ concentration. Phenolphthalein has a range of 8.3 to 10. A pink solution
generally means that the solution is basic while a clear one means that a solution is neutral,
bordering on neutral, or acidic [3]. After the addition of phenolphthalein, Solution 3 became pink
while Solution 4 remained colorless. This means that Solution 3 could have a pH of 10 or below
while Solution 4 is around neutral or has an even lower pH. After using a pH meter on the
solutions, Solution 3s pH was 9.07 while Solution 4s pH was 7.20.

3.

Which causes a larger change in pH, addition of 3 drops of 1.0 M HCl or 3 drops of 1.0 M NaOH to Solution
1, 2, 3, or 4? Explain.
Based on experimental data, three drops of 1.0 M NaOH caused a larger pH change to solutions 1
and 2 while three drops of 1.0 M HCl caused a larger pH change to solutions 3 and 4. The
differences between the initial pH reading and the pH reading after the addition of either solutions
were computed. In solution 1, NaOH increased the pH by 1.37 while HCl decreased it by 0.84. In
solution 2, NaOH increased the pH by 0.69 while HCl decreased it by 0.19. Solutions 1 and 3
showed larger pH changes compared to Solutions 2 and 4 possibly due to the presence of buffers in
the latter two. A buffered solution is one in which changes in pH by the addition of H + and OH- are
resisted [2].

4.

Compare the different methods of determining pH: visual indicators, pH meter, and calculations. Compare the
accuracy of the three methods employed.
Visual indicators (such as methyl orange and phenolphthalein) cannot give accurate pH
measurements. They are more used for determining whether a substance is basic or acidic. The pH
meter gives actual values however the values could still be inaccurate since errors during
calibration. Calculations seem to be the most accurate however the values are merely theoretical
since errors could have occurred during solution preparation. For instance, upon computing, the
pH of Solution 1 ends up as 2.88. Solution 3s pH is 11.12.

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5.

What are the possible sources of errors and their effect on the calculated parameters? Rationalize.
Experimental results should never be taken as completely accurate. A lot of errors can occur during
experimentation proper. The solutions are manually prepared so it is entirely possible that the
actual concentrations are greater or less than the ones used in computation.
Another source of error are the interpretations of the visual indicators. Since both methyl orange
and phenolphthalein have limited pH ranges, it is nearly impossible to determine the actual pH of
the substances by observation alone especially if the solution colors are at the extremes (i.e.
colorless and hot pink for phenolphthalein; yellow and red for methyl orange). Also, everyone has
different color-sensitivities. One person may be able to tell the difference between one shade of
red from another but another person wont be able to do so. The estimated pH readings, therefore,
can also vary from person to person.
A third source of error is the pH meter itself. There is still a possibility that errors occurred during
calibration due to miscalculating the supposed pH of substances (e.g. giving a pH of 7.1 instead of
7.2).

References
[1] Brown, e. a. (2015). Chemistry: The Central Science (Thirteenth ed.). London: Pearson Education
Limited.
[2] Odian, G., & Blei, I. (1994). Schaum's Outlines: General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry. New Jersey:
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
[3] Silberberg, M. (2013). Principles of General Chemistry (Third ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

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APPENDIX B SAMPLE CALCULATIONS

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