Experiment Number 7

Potentiometric Titrations

Adam Webb

SCH 113.03 Quantitative Analysis Lab II

April 21, 2017

I.Title: Potentiometric Titrations

II.Objective:
● The objective of the lab was to find different equilibrium points and the pKa using
different concentrations of acids and bases. It was also to help learn about pH and the
equilibrium point and the graph of a acid-base reaction.

III.Theory:

Arrhenius Theory: Acids are substances that produce hydrogen ions in solution, bases are

substances that produce hydroxide ions in solution.

Bronsted-Lowry Theory: An acid is a proton (hydrogen ion) donor, a base is a proton (hydrogen

ion) acceptor.

Lewis Theory: An acid is an electron pair acceptor, a base is an electron pair donor.

For the strong acid and strong base, they acid and base neutralize each other. For the

reaction of a weak acid and a strong base involves the direct transfer of protons from the acid to

the Hydroxide ion. For the reaction of a strong acid and weak base involves a transfer of more

protons than Hydroxide ions.

Part A: HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) ↔ NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)

Part B: CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) ↔ CH3COONa(aq) + H2O(l)

Part C: HCl(aq) + NH4OH(aq) ↔ NH4Cl(aq) + H2O(l)

The graph of the pH of the solution was generated by monitoring the pH as controlled

amounts of a base was added and then was plotted on a graph. The graphs have a steady and

slow increase of pH until there a large drastic jump in the pH at the equilibrium point. It then

steadies off again.

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 and tells how acidic or basic a solution is. Solutions less

than 7 is acidic and greater than 7 is basic. The pH of a solution is based on the amount or

concentration of the Hydronium ion in an aqueous solution. If the solution has a higher
Hydronium concentration and a lower Hydroxide concentration, it is acidic. If it has lower

Hydronium concentration and a higher Hydroxide concentration, then it is basic. The pK of a

solution is the pH of a solution at its equilibrium point.

IV.Procedure:

Part A:

1)Add 40 mL of 0.1 M HCl was added to a 250mL beaker and a stir bar was placed in it.

2)The buret was conditioned and filled with NaOH.

3)The pH meter was calibrated and set up in the beaker.

4)1mL increments of NaOH was added to the HCl until it reached a pH of about 2.5.

5)Then increments of 0.5 mL of NaOH were added until the pH reached 12 and leveled off.

Part B:

1)40 mL of 0.1 M acetic acid was added to a 250mL beaker and a stir bar was placed into it.

2)The buret was conditioned and filled with NaOH.

The pH meter was calibrated and set up in the beaker.

4)1mL increments of NaOH was added to the acetic acid until it reached a pH of about 5.0.

5)Then increments of 0.5 mL of NaOH were added until the pH reached 12.5 and leveled off.

Part C:

1)40 mL of of 0.1 M NH3 was added to a 250mL beaker and a stir bar was placed into it.

2)The buret was conditioned and filled with HCl.

The pH meter was calibrated and set up in the beaker.

4)1mL increments of HCl was added to the NH3 until it reached a pH of about 8.0.
5)Then increments of 0.5 mL of HCl were added until the pH reached 2.0 and leveled off.

V.Data:

Part A:

Volume(mL) pH
51.5 12.02

Part B:

Volume(mL) pH Derivative
50 12.64 0.02
Part C:

Volume(mL) pH Derivative 2nd Derivative

40 1.97 -0.03 0.015
VI.Calculations:

Part A:

M1V1 = M2V2
0.1053M(51.5mL) = M2(40.0mL)
M2 = (0.1053M(51.5mL))/40.0mL
M2 = 0.136M

Equivalence Point = (35.5mL , 8.59)

Part B:

Equivalence Point = (36.5mL , 9.85)

pKa = Equivalence Point / 2

pKa = 36.5mL / 2
pKa = around (18.25mL , 4.54)

Part C:

Equivalence Point = (26.5mL + 27.0mL) / 2

Equivalence Point = around (21.75mL , 8.98)

VII.Discussion:

The pH of the equivalence points of Parts A and C are very similar around 9 while Part B
is much lower than both of them at about 4.5. The reason the equivalence point is below 7 in
Part B is because the reaction starts off low. While in Part C, it is the opposite because the pH
starts off high. Hydrolysis is the reaction that involves the breaking of bonds of an ion using
water. In Part B it is the reaction of water and sodium hydroxide and in Part C is the reaction of
water and hydrochloric acid. The pH of the Parts A and B start on the lower side and then slowly
rise for a while then jumps up to the pH of about 12 and then starts to slow down until it slows
down. Part C was the opposite, because it started with a high pH and slowly decreased and
then made a big drop to a pH of about 3. The reaction then slows down until it leveled off. The
buffer zone in an acid - base reaction is the part in the reaction when either an acid or a base is
added to it’s opposite and the reaction resists large changes in the pH. This point is the
beginning of the reaction to the equivalence point. In Part B, it goes from
(0mL , 1.54) - (18.25mL , 4.54) and Part C goes from (0mL , 2.69) - (21.75mL , 8.98).