DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

CHE 244

Experiment No: 2

Experiment Title: DETERMINATION OF THE DISSOCIATION CONSTANT OF A

WEAK ACID FROM pH MEASUREMNETS

Surname: TSHEOLE

First name: KARABO YUVAL

ID number: 201801845

Day: THURSDAY

Date of the Experiment: 6 March 2020

Partner’s name and ID: ORATILE CHRISSON SETOMBEKO 20183250

AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT
The aim of the experiment is to use the pH measurements of benzoic acid mixed with sodium
hydroxide to determine the pKa of the former.

Belliard 2
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the acid dissociation constant (K
a
) of an
unknown weak acid (Belliard Martuscelli, Nicole) by titrating it with a strong base of known
concentration, and hence determining the initial concentration of the weak acid. The
calculations
will be determined using two methods: Measuring the pH of the weak acid solution of known
concentration and finding the half equivalence point where pH
1/2
= pK
a
. The K
a
is an important
value to know since it is a great indicator of acid strength and conductivity.
Belliard 2
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the acid dissociation constant (K
a
) of an
unknown weak acid (Belliard Martuscelli, Nicole) by titrating it with a strong base of known
concentration, and hence determining the initial concentration of the weak acid. The
calculations
will be determined using two methods: Measuring the pH of the weak acid solution of known
concentration and finding the half equivalence point where pH
1/2
= pK
a
. The K
a
is an important
value to know since it is a great indicator of acid strength and conductivity.
Belliard 2
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the acid dissociation constant (K
a
) of an
unknown weak acid (Belliard Martuscelli, Nicole) by titrating it with a strong base of known
concentration, and hence determining the initial concentration of the weak acid. The
calculations
will be determined using two methods: Measuring the pH of the weak acid solution of known
concentration and finding the half equivalence point where pH
1/2
= pK
a
. The K
a
is an important
value to know since it is a great indicator of acid strength and conductivity.
he purpose of this experiment is to calculate the acid dissociation constant (K
a
) of an
unknown weak acid (Belliard Martuscelli, Nicole) by titrating it with a strong base of known
concentration, and hence determining the initial concentration of the weak acid. The
calculations
will be determined using two methods:
he purpose of this experiment is to calculate the acid dissociation constant (K
a
) of an
unknown weak acid (Belliard Martuscelli, Nicole) by titrating it with a strong base of known
concentration, and hence determining the initial concentration of the weak acid. The
calculations
will be determined using two methods:
PROCEDURE
Using two separate 250ml beakers, 150ml distilled water was boiled and 0.13g of benzoic
acid was accurately weighed using an analytical balance respectively. The boiled distilled
water was covered with a petri-dish and cooled to room temperature and thereafter, 40ml of
the water was added using a 100ml measuring cylinder to the 250ml beaker with benzoic acid
and was dissolved, the mixture was further cooled again to room temperature. The solution
was transferred to a 100ml volumetric flask and the mark was top up with the boiled distilled
water. The exact molarity of the benzoic acid solution was calculated.50ml of benzoic acid
solution was pipetted with a 25ml pipette into a clean dry 100ml beaker and covered with a
petri-dish .NaOH was filled in a 10ml burette and in the benzoic acid solution in the beaker,
the electrode was placed inside. NaOH was then added to the solution with continuous
stirring of the solution and pH and temperature of the mixture was recorded in every 0.5ml of
NaOH additions until 10ml was added. NaOH was standardized after the preparation of
100ml standard solution of KHP. Uncertainties of 10ml burette were 0.02ml, analytical
balance 1.0001g, 100ml measuring cylinder 0.1ml, 100ml volumetric flask 0.1ml and 25ml
pipette 0.03ml.The pKa for benzoic acid was calculated and in addition, a graph of pH versus
volume of NaOH added was plotted.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

SAMPLE CALULATIONS
Q1.A) Volume=100ml Mass=0.1333g Molar mass=122.08g/mole
Moles=mass/molar mass
=0.1333g /122.08g/mole
=0.001091906 mole
MOLARITY=moles/volume
=0.001091906 mole (100×10-3) L
=0.01091906 M
B) Molar mass=204.17g/mole Volume=100ml Mass=2.0372g
Moles of KHP=mass/molar mass
=2.0372g /204.17g/mole
=0.009977959 moles
≈ 0.0100 moles
MOLARITY=Moles/volume
=0.009977959 moles / (100*10^-3)
= 0.099779595 M
C) KHP (aq) + NaOH(aq) NaKP(aq) + H2O(l)
Volume=10.5ml
KHP : NaOH
 1mol : 1 mole
0.009977959 moles : x mole
X= 0.009977959 moles of NaOH
≈ 0.0100 moles

MOLARITY=moles /volume
= 0.009977959 moles / (10.5*10^-3) L
=0.950281809 ≈ 0.95 M

Calculations for concentration HA

Concentration of HA (0.0ml)=moles of HA left after reaction with0.500ml NaOH/Total
volume of solution
=original moles of HA in 50.00ml-moles of NaOH in 0.500ml
added/ (50.00+0500)10^-3l
= (0.0100-0) moles/ (50.00) ×10-3
=0.2M

Concentration of HA at 0.50ml
0.01mol: 50ml
X mole : 0.50ml
X= 0.0001
Concentration HA= (0.01 – 0.0001) moles/ ((50.00 + 0.50) ×10-3
=0.196 M

Concentration of HA (1.00ml)
1.1 : 50ml
X mole: 1.00ml
X= 0.0002 mole
Concentration HA= (0.01-0.000200) moles/(50.00+1.00) ×10-3

=0.192 M
Calculations for concentration A-
Concentration of A-= 0.0100moles of NaOH/Total volume of solution
Concentration of A-(0.00ml) = 0.010mol/(10.5+0) ×10-3
= 0.952 M
Concentration of A-(0.500ml)=0.0100mol/(10.5+05) ×10-3
= 0.909 M
Concentration of A-(1.00ml)=0.0100mol/(10.5+1.00) ×10-3
= 0.870M

Calculations for concentration of H+

Concentration of H+; use pH=-log (H3O) +
[H+] = 10-pH
Concentration of H+ (0.00ML) =10-3.12
=7.59
Concentration of H+ (0.500ml) =10-3.26
=5.5
Concentration of H+ (1.00ml) =10 -3.68
=2.09

Calculations of concentration of HA- concentration of H+

FOR 0.00ml=0.2 – 7.59 ×10-4
=0.199
FOR 0.50ml=0.0196 - 5.5 × 10-4
=0.195
FOR 1.00ml=0.192 -2.09 × 10-4
=0.192
Calculations of concentration of A-+concentration of H+
FOR 0.000ml=0.952+ 7.59 × 10-4
=0.953
FOR 0.50ml=0.910+5.5 × 10-4
 =0.910
FOR 1.00ml=0.870+7.59 × 10-4
=0.870

Calculations for pKa

pKa= pH+ log((HA)-(H+)/(A-)+(H+)
FOR 0.00ml
pKa=3.12+log(0.199/0.953)
=2.44
FOR 0.50ml
pKa=3.26 +log (0.195/0.910)
=2.59
FOR 1.00ml
pKa=3.68+log(0.192/0.870)
= 3.02
Average
Average = sum of all values for pH/the total number of values
= 33.46/10
=3.346
 x̄ ≈3.35
STARNDARD DEVIATION
pka Pka -  x̄ (Pka -  x̄)2
2.44 -0.91 0.828
2.59 -0.76 0.578
3.02 -0.33 0.109
3.17 -0.18 0.0324
3.28 -0.07 0.0049
3.43 -0.08 0.0064
3.59 -0.24 0.0576
3.77 -0.42 0.176
3.96 -0.61 0.372
4.21 -0.86 0.740

STARNDARD DEVIATION

Standard Deviation = √ (x− x̄ )2/n – 1

=√2.9043/10-1
=0.568066897
=0.57
GRAPH
i) Graph showing pH of solution against volume of sodium hydroxide added
 pH versus volume of NaOH added
12

10

6
pH

0
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Volume of NaOH added(ml)

DISCUSSION
According to (Harries 2010), literature value of pka for benzoic acid was found to be 4.20
while the calculated value was found to be 3.35.This showed a difference of 0.85 between the
experimental value and literature value. This indicates poor accuracy which could have been
a result of parallax error when measuring the volumes of solutions used in the
experiment.Parallax error was minimized by taking reading from the instrument eye level and
also taking measurements in line with the meniscus Olmstead et al (1980).

CONCLUSION
The pKa of benzoic acid was determined to be 4.20 from the calculated value and 3.35 from
the one obtained from the graph. The equation of the line is y=0.8578x-1.0443 while the
correlation was measured as R² = 0.8693.
REFERENCE

Harris, Daniel (2010). Quantitative Chemical Analysis (8 ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman

and Company. pp. AP12. ISBN 9781429254366.

Olmstead, William N.; Bordwell, Frederick G. (1980). "Ion-pair association constants in

dimethyl sulfoxide". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 45 (16): 3299–
3305. doi:10.1021/jo01304a033

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
i) Benzoic acid is prepared in boiled distilled water to remove any impurities from the water
and it is dissolved in the cooled distilled water and heated since it is soluble in high
temperatures

ii) Because pH decreases with increase in temperature

iii) HA⇌H++A−HA⇌H++A−

The acid dissociation constant is:

Ka=[H+][A−][HA]Ka=[H+][A−][HA]

After taking the log of the entire equation and rearranging it, the result is:

log(Ka)=log[H+]+log([A−][HA])log(Ka)=log[H+]+log([A−][HA])

This equation can be rewritten as:

−pKa=−pH+ log([A−][HA])−pKa=−pH+ log([A−][HA])

Distributing the negative sign gives the final version of the equation which is referred to as
the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation

pH=pKa+log([A−][HA])

PRE-LAB QUESTIONS
Consider the hypothetical reaction: A + B ------ Products. The rate expression is Rate=K
[A]α [B]β
Determine the values for α and β from the following data
[A] [B] Rate
0.10 M 0.10 M 2.0 M min-1
0.10 M 0.20 M 4.0 M min-1
0.20M 0.10 M 8.0 M min-1
When [A] is constant [B] doubles and the rate increases by a factor 2
(B2/B1) β = R2/R1
(0.20/0.10) β = 4.0/2.0
2β = 2
β = log2/ log2
=1
1st order with respect to [B]
When [B] is constant [A] doubles and the rate increases by factor 4
(A2/A1) α = R2/R1
(0.20/0.10) α = 8.0/2.0
2α= 4
α = log4/log2
=2
Calculate the masses required to prepare 50.00ml volumes of 0.02M FeCl3.6H20
(270.30g/mole) and 0.02 M KI (166.00g/mole)
FeCl3.6H2O
Concentration= moles/volume
Moles = 0.02 * 50.00*10-3
=0.001 mole
Mass= moles*molar mass
= 0.001mol * 270.30 g/mole
= 0.2703g

KI
Moles = 0.02 * 50.00*10-3
=0.001 mole
Mass= 0.001mol * 166.00g/mole
=0.1660g