Titration of Hydrochloric Acid against

Sodium Hydroxide

March 3, 2024
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Contents
1. AIMS .................................................................................................................................................. 1
2. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1
3. PROCEDURE ...................................................................................................................................... 2
4. RESULTS............................................................................................................................................. 3
5. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................................................... 4
6. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 5
7. REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Titration of Hydrochloric Acid against

Sodium Hydroxide
1. AIMS

To determine the concentration of hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution with respect to a known
concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The specific objective is to accurately
measure the concentration of NaOH required to neutralize the HCl solution by using
phenolphthalein as an indicator and also to calculate the concentration of HCl solution based on
the molarity of the NaOH concentration used.

2. INTRODUCTION

Titration is a common analytical method for determining the concentration of an unknown

compound by working with a known compound until the end of the reaction. In this experiment
we will use a titration method to determine the concentration of hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution
using sodium which we will use on the hydroxide (NaOH) solution of known concentration.

HCl solutions are strong acids, with chemical derivatives of HCl, commonly used in a variety of
applications, including cleaning, disinfection, and as a chemically active agent if NaOH solution
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is a base it is complex, containing chemical compounds for NaOH, and is often used in a variety
of applications, including cleaning, disinfection, variety and as pH regulators in industry.

The titration method uses an indicator such as phenolphthalein to determine the end point of the
reaction. The end is reached when the indicator changes color, indicating that the acid and base
have completely reacted. In this experiment, we will use phenolphthalein as an endpoint for the
reaction of HCl and NaOH solutions.

Volumetric analysis is a branch of analytical chemistry that determines the volume of a solution
by determining the amount of reagent needed to react with a known volume of HCl solution.

3. PROCEDURE

• The experimenter prepared a solution of hydrochloric acid (HCl) of unknown concentration

and about 0.1M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution.
• The specific molarity of the NaOH solution was given by the display.
• Pipette measure 20.00 cm3 of HCl solution into a 250 cm3 conical flask.
• Three drops of phenolphthalein indicator were added to the conical flask.
• The burette was filled with NaOH solution, and some of the solution was added to the
beaker to remove any air bubbles.
• Initial burette reading noted.
• The NaOH solution was added to the conical flask slowly with continuous swirling until
the final point was approached.
• To avoid excessive precipitation, the end point was approached and NaOH solution was
slowly added.
• Termination was determined by a permanent change of initial pink color in the water,
which evolved from colorless (acidic) to pink (alkaline).
• The volume of NaOH solution used in the titration was recorded.
• The titration procedure was repeated until three values were obtained, which agreed within
0.10 cm3.
• The results were recorded on a table provided for reference.
• The experimenter presented the results to the demonstrator for verification.
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• If the results differed in size and were not accurate by 0.1 cm3, the experimenter was asked
to repeat the experiment until the expected accuracy of the results was obtained.

4. RESULTS

Table 1

Titration Initial Reading Final Reading Volume Used /

𝒄𝒎𝟑
1 0 21.60 21.60
2 0 21.40 21.40
3 0 20.50 20.50
4 0 20.30 20.30
5 0 21.50 21.50

Mean Titre Calculation:

We can find the average volume of NaOH solution used (mean titre) by simply summing the
individual volumes (titres) and dividing by the total number of measurements:

(𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 1 + 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 2 + 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 5)

𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 =
3

Given:

𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 1 = 21.60 𝑐𝑚³

𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 2 = 21.40 𝑐𝑚³

𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 5 = 21.50 𝑐𝑚³

(21.60 𝑐𝑚3 + 21.40 𝑐𝑚3 + 21.50 𝑐𝑚3 )

𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 =
3

𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 = 21.50 𝑐𝑚³

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Therefore, the average volume of NaOH solution used was 21.50 cm³.

Molarity of HCl Calculation:

Since we know the accurate molarity of the NaOH solution (0.09977 mol/L).

Given:

𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻 = 0.09977
𝐿

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻 × 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 = 0.10 𝑐𝑚³

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦𝐻𝐶𝑙 × 21.50 = 0.09977 × 0.10

𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦_𝐻𝐶𝑙:

𝑚𝑜𝑙
0.09977 𝐿 × 21.5 𝑐𝑚3
𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦𝐻𝐶𝑙 =
0.10 𝑐𝑚3

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦_𝐻𝐶𝑙 = 21.45 𝑚𝑜𝑙/𝐿

Therefore, the molarity of the HCl solution is approximately 21.45 mol/L.

5. DISCUSSION

The aim of the experiment was to determine the volume of hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution
relative to the known volume of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) The volume of NaOH solution used
was calculated to be 21.50 cm3, and the molarity of HCl solution was found is about about 21.45
mol/L

In the analysis of the results, the results are in close agreement with the expected values based on
the experimental design. The observed discrepancies could be due to possible measurement
errors in the titration process, such as inaccurate burette number readings or changes in endpoints
using phenolphthalein

Careful monitoring of color changes during titration to ensure accurate measurement techniques
to improve accuracy in future experiments can improve the accuracy of results Furthermore,
burettes and pipettes can be routinely calibrated reduce systematic errors that can affect results.
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6. CONCLUSION

The objective of quantifying the HCl solution by titration with NaOH was successful. The
calculated molarity of about 21.45 mol/L is consistent with the expected concentration based on
the experimental design and the known molarity of NaOH.

7. REFERENCES

• Skoog, D. A., West, D. M., Holler, F. J., & Crouch, S. R. (2017). Fundamentals of
analytical chemistry (10th ed.). Nelson Education.
• Harris, D. C. (2010). Quantitative chemical analysis (8th ed.). W. H. Freeman.
• Mendham, J., Denney, R. C., Barnes, J. D., & Thomas, M. J. K. (2000). Vogel's
textbook of quantitative chemical analysis (6th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
• American Chemical Society. (2011). Indicators and test papers. https://uwm.edu/acs-
exams/
• Gran, G. (1952). Determination of the equivalence point in potentiometric titrations.
Part I. Analyst, 77(929), 661-671.
• Miller, J. C., & Miller, J. N. (2010). Statistics and chemometrics for analytical
chemistry (5th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
• Patnaik, P. (2003). Handbook of inorganic chemicals. McGraw-Hill Professional.
(For reference on the properties of HCl and NaOH)