Practical notes and Viva questions for
Titration Experiment
Concept of titration, burette, pipette, and indicator:
*Titration
Titration is a laboratory technique used to determine the
concentration of an unknown substance (analyte) by reacting it
with a known amount of another substance (titrant). The reaction
between the analyte and titrant is usually a neutralization
reaction, oxidation-reduction reaction, or complexation reaction.
*Burette
A burette is a laboratory apparatus used to measure the volume of a
liquid with high precision. It is a graduated glass tube with a
stopcock at the bottom, allowing the liquid to flow out in a
controlled manner. In titration, the burette is used to deliver the
titrant to the analyte.
*Pipette
A pipette is a laboratory instrument used to measure and transfer
small volumes of liquids with high accuracy. Pipettes are
available in various sizes and types, including volumetric pipettes,
micropipettes, and serological pipettes. In titration, pipettes are
used to measure the volume of the analyte.
*Indicator
An indicator is a substance that changes its color or physical
properties in response to a change in the concentration of the
analyte or titrant. Indicators are used In titration to signal the
endpoint of the reaction, which is the point at which the analyte
is completely reacted with the titrant. Common indicators include
pH indicators (e.g., phenolphthalein), redox indicators (e.g.,
potassium permanganate), and complexation indicators (e.g.,
EDTA).
*Types of indicators:
- pH indicators: Change color in response to changes in pH.
- Redox indicators: Change color in response to changes in oxidation
state.
- Complexation indicators: Change color in response to changes in
complexation reactions.
*Common indicators:
- Phenolphthalein (pH indicator)
- Potassium permanganate (redox indicator)
- Methyl orange (pH indicator)
*Titrant
A titrant is a substance with a known concentration that is added to
a solution to react with the substance being measured (analyte).
Think of it as a "measuring stick” to determine the amount of
analyte.
*Analyte
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An analyte is the substance being measured or analyzed in a
chemical reaction. It’s the “unknown” substance that you’re
trying to determine the concentration of.
Example:
- Titrant: Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with a known concentration
- Analyte: Acetic acid (CH3COOH) with an unknown concentration
In this example, the sodium hydroxide (titrant) is added to the acetic
acid (analyte) until the reaction is complete. By measuring the
amount of sodium hydroxide added, you can determine the
concentration of acetic acid.
Q1. What is the principle of volumetric analysis?
Answer. The concentration of a solution is determined in volumetric
analysis by allowing a known volume of it to quantitatively react
with another solution of known concentration.
Q2. What is titration?
Answer. Titration is the process of adding one solution from the
burette to another in the titration flask in order to complete the
chemical reaction.
Q3. What is an indicator?
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Answer. A chemical substance that changes colour at the endpoint
is known as an indicator.
Q4. What is the endpoint?
Answer. The endpoint of the titration is the point during titration when
the reaction is nearly complete.
Q5. Why are the burette and the pipette rinsed with the solution with
which these are filled?
Answer. If you rinse the burette with the solution to be used, any tiny
amounts of liquid remaining are the same as the solution used to
fill the burette, and they will not affect the solution’s
concentration in any way.
Q6. Which indicator is used in the titration of oxalic acid vs sodium
hydroxide? Can the titration be performed by using some other
indicator?
Answer. In the titration of oxalic acid and sodium hydroxide,
phenolphthalein is used as an indicator because it changes
colour in the titration pH range (8.3 – 10).
Any indicator with a pH range of 3.5 to 10 will detect the
equivalence point. As a result, either phenolphthalein or methyl
orange could be used as an indicator.
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Q7. Why should one read the lower meniscus in the case of
colourless and transparent solutions and the upper meniscus for
solutions of dark colour?
Answer. When measuring the volume of colourless or transparent
liquids, the lower meniscus must be read, but the upper meniscus
must be read when measuring the volume of coloured liquids
because the phase boundary in the colourless liquid is clearly
visible and easy to read.
Q8. Which indicator is used in this titration?
Answer. In this titration phenolphthalein (HPh) is used as an indicator.
Q9. What do you mean by a 1.0 M solution?
Answer. A 1.0 M solution contains one mole of solute per litre of
solution.
Q10. Why should the last drop of the solution not be blown out of a
pipette?
Answer. This is due to the fact that the drops remaining in the jet end
exceed the volume measured by the pipette.
Q11. Explain the term basicity of acid and acidity of a base?
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Answer. The basicity of an acid is defined as the number of
hydrogen ions produced by one molecule of the acid upon
complete dissociation, whereas the acidity of a base is defined
as the number of hydroxyl ions produced by one molecule of the
base upon complete dissociation.
Q12. For titrating NaOH vs HCl, phenolphthalein and methyl orange,
both are suitable indicators. Why?
Answer. Methyl orange is used as an indicator in the titration of a
strong acid and a weak base. When performing a titration
between a strong base and a weak acid, phenolphthalein is an
excellent indicator. In this case, alkali is poured from the burette,
and acid is poured into the titration flask. The colour of the
solution in the titration flask shifts from colourless to pink. The
human eye can easily detect this change in colour. If we put
alkali in the titration flask, the colour will change from pink to
colourless, and the accuracy in noting the colour change will be
reduced. Any of the above indicators can be used in the titration
of strong acid versus strong base.
Q13. What is meant by the term, ‘concordant readings’?
Answer. Concordant readings are volumetric analysis readings that
differ by less than 0.05 mL.
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Q14. Can one take oxalic acid solution in the burette and sodium
hydroxide solution in the titration flask? Point out the limitations of
doing so if any.
Answer. No, because when a sodium hydroxide solution is added to
the titration flask, the endpoint colour changes from pink to
colourless. The precision in noting this change may be reduced as
the compound changes from colourless to pink.
Q15. How can the molarity of the solution be calculated?
Answer. The molarity of the solution can be calculated by using the
formula-
A1 M1 V1 = a2 M2 V2
Where a1, M1, V1 are respectively basicity, molarity and volume of
acid used and a2, M2 and V2 are acidity, molarity and volume
respectively of base used in the titration.
Q16. What is a standard solution?
Answer. Any solution whose strength is known is called a standard
solution.
Q17. What is a molar solution?
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Answer. A molar solution is one that contains 1 mole of solute in one
litre of solution.
Q18. What is acidimetry?
Answer. The method used to determine the strength of acid by
titrating it against a standard alkali solution using a suitable
indicator is known as acidimetry.
Q19. What type of reaction is an acid-alkali titration?
Answer. Neutralization titration.
Q20. What precautions need to be taken while performing the
experiment?
Answer. Precautions that should be taken while performing the
experiment are as follows-
Weighing of oxalic acid crystals need weights of 2g + 1g + 100mg +
50mg.
While weighing do not spill the substance on the balance pan.
Rotate the knob of balance gently.
Keep the weights in the weights box at the proper places after
weighing
Wash the watch glass carefully so that even a single crystal is not left
on the watch glass.
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Bring the watch glass close to the funnel while transferring weighed
substance and transfer it gently. Wash it repeatedly with distilled
water.
Wash the burette with water after titration is over.
The last few drops should be added using a pipette to avoid the
extra addition of distilled water above the mark on the neck of
the measuring cylinder.
