[Author © Dr Phil Brown GRIC, PhD: Doc Brown's chemistry exam revision notes on acid-alkali titration method suitable for students of UK GCSE level and Advanced A-level chemistry courses, ~US grades 9-12 chemistry notes  [page updated RE-EDIT]

A variety of apparatus you might come across, particularly the pipette (1) for measuring accurately volumes of solutions to be analysed by titration with a standard solution in a burette (3) with the chemicals mixing in a conical flask (4).

• The diagram above shows the typical apparatus (1)-(6) used in manipulating liquids and on the left a brief three stage description of titrating an acid with an alkali:
  • (i) An accurate volume of acid is pipetted into the conical flasks using a suction bulb and pipette for health and safety reasons.
  • A suitable indicator is then added, which turns red in the acid.

  • See 3. How do you choose the right indicator for an acid - alkali titration?

  • The alkali, of known accurate concentration, is put in the burette and you can conveniently level off the reading to zero (the meniscus on the liquid surface should rest on the zero -- graduation mark).
    • Note other possibilities are:
    • (ii) An accurate volume of alkali is measured into a flask and titrated with an acid solution of known concentration.
    • (iii) A small amount of accurately weighed solid acid is dissolved in water and titrated with alkali.
    • (iv) A small amount of accurately weighed solid alkali is dissolved in water and titrated with acid.
  • Titration procedure if the alkali is in the burette
    • e.g. a standard solution of sodium hydroxide
    • The acidic solution or solid material is measured out into the conical flask.
    • The solid would first be dissolved in water to make the acidic solution.
    • The burette is filled with a standard solution of hydrochloric acid and zeroed to the top calibration mark of 0.00 cm³.
    • Universal indicator or other suitable indicator is added to the flask and the indigestion powder should turn it blue - alkaline.
    • The acid is carefully and slowly added until the indicator turns green - neutral at the end-point of the titration.
    • By the time you reach the end-point, you will adding the standard alkali solution dropwise and swirling after each addition and checking the colour of the indicator.
    • You then read the volume of acid required to neutralise the ant-acid powder.
  • For (i) The alkali is then carefully added by running it out of the burette in small quantities into the acid solution, controlling the flow with the tap, until the indicator seems to be going yellow-pale green.
    • The conical flask should be carefully swirled after each addition of alkali to ensure all the alkali reacts.
  • Near the end of the titration, the alkali should added drop-wise until the indicator changes to the appropriate colour.
    • This is called the end-point of the titration and the green means that all the acid has been neutralised.
    • The volume of alkali needed to titrate-neutralise the acid is read off from burette scale, again reading the volume value on the underside of the meniscus.
    • The calculation can then be done to work out the concentration of the alkali.

Titration index  *  Full chemistry calculations index

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