PROJECT REPORT

NAME: VISHESH JAIN

CLASS: 12 TH

SUBJECT: CHEMISTRY

TOPIC:DETERMINATION
OF PH OF DIFFERENT
WATER SAMPLES
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Vishesh Jain of
class XII has completed his chemistry
project titled Determination of pH of
different water samples using pH meter
for the academic year 2023 - 2024. The
certified student has been dedicated
throughout his research and completed
his work before the given deadline
without missing any important details
from the project. It is also certified that
this project is the individual work of the
student and can be submitted for
evaluation.

Teacher’s signature Student’s signature

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would want to convey my gratitude to everyone
who has assisted me in finishing my assignment
successfully.
First and first, I want to thank CBSE from the
bottom of my heart for giving me such a wonderful
opportunity to develop a project and learn more
about this fascinating subject.

Second, I want to express my gratitude to our

institution’s principal, for providing us with the
inspiration and amazing support we needed to
finish the project.

Thirdly, I would like to thank , my chemistry

instructor, who guided me through every step of the
project’s preparation.

Finally, I’d want to thank everyone who has helped

me along the way, including my professors,
parents, and coworkers, whose support has made
this effort possible

VISHESH JAIN
CLASS : 12 TH
 INTRODUCTION
1. What is a pH meter ?
 A pH meter is a scientific instrument that
measures the hydrogen-
ion activity in water-bases solutions,
indicating
its acidity or alkalinity expressed
as pH The pH meter measures the
difference in electrical potential between
a pH electrode and a reference
electrode, and so the pH meter is
sometimes referred to as a
"potentiometric pH meter". The
difference in electrical potential relates to
the acidity or pH of the solution. Testing
of pH via pH meters (pH-metry) is used
in many applications ranging
from laboratory
experimentation to quality control.
2. What are the applications of a pH meter ?
 The rate and outcome of chemical
reactions taking place in water often
depends on the acidity of the water, and
it is therefore useful to know the acidity
of the water, typically measured by
means of a pH meter.[5] Knowledge of pH
is useful or critical in many situations,
 including chemical laboratory analyses.
pH meters are used
for soil measurements
in agriculture, water quality for municipal
water supplies, swimming
pools, environmental
remediation; brewing of wine or
beer; manufacturing, healthcare and
clinical applications such as blood
chemistry; and many other applications.
 advances in the instrumentation and
in detection have expanded the number
of applications in which pH
measurements can be conducted. The
devices have been miniaturized,
enabling direct measurement of pH
inside of living cells.[6] In addition to
measuring the pH of liquids, specially
designed electrodes are available to
measure the pH of semi-solid
substances, such as foods.
FIG: Beckman Model M pH Meter.

3. What is pH ?
 The concept of pH was defined in
1909 by S. P. L. Sørensen, and
electrodes were used for pH
measurement in the 1920s.[24]
 In October 1934, Arnold Orville
Beckman registered the first patent
for a complete chemical instrument
for the measurement of pH, U.S.
Patent No. 2,058,761, for his
"acidimeter", later renamed the pH
meter. Beckman developed the
prototype as an assistant professor
of chemistry at the California Institute
of Technology, when asked to devise
a quick and accurate method for
measuring the acidity of lemon juice
 for the California Fruit Growers
Exchange (Sunkist).[25]: 131–135
 On April 8, 1935, Beckman's
renamed National Technical
Laboratories focused on the
manufacture of scientific
instruments, with the Arthur H.
Thomas Company as a distributor for
its pH meter.[25]: 131–135 In its first full
year of sales, 1936, the company
sold 444 pH meters for $60,000 in
sales.[26] In years to come,
 The company solds millios of the
units.[27][28] In 2004 the Beckman pH
meter was designated an ACS
National Historic Chemical
Landmark in recognition of its
significance as the first commercially
successful electronic pH meter.[26]
 The Radiometer Corporation of
Denmark was founded in 1935, and
began marketing a pH meter for
medical use around 1936, but "the
development of automatic pH-meters
for industrial purposes was
neglected. Instead American
instrument makers successfully
developed industrial pH-meters with
a wide variety of applications, such
as in breweries, paper works, alum
 works, and water treatment
systems."[24]
 In the 1940s the electrodes for pH
meters were often difficult to make,
or unreliable due to brittle glass.
Dr. Werner Ingold began to
industrialize the production of single-
rod measuring cells, a combination
of measurement and reference
electrode in one construction
unit,[29] which led to broader
acceptance in a wide range of
industries including pharmaceutical
production.[30]
 Beckman marketed a portable
"Pocket pH Meter" as early as 1956,
but it did not have a digital read-
out.[31] In the 1970s Jenco
Electronics of Taiwan designed and
manufactured the first portable digital
pH meter. This meter was sold under
the label of the Cole-Parmer
Corporation
 1. Aim :
To calibrate the pH meter and determine the
pH of different water samples.
2. Principle :
pH indicates the acid content of water. The
concept of pH was first given by Soren Peder
Lauritz Sorensen in 1909 from the Carlsberg
Laboratory. The pH scale (measured from 0.0 –
14.0 pH units) is a logarithmic scale of the
hydrogen ion concentration. Solutions with a pH
higher than 7.0 are considered as basic and pH
lower than 7.0 as acidic. A pH of 7.0 is neutral.
Each pH unit is ten times greater in hydrogen ion
concentration than the next. For example, pH 4.0
water has 10 times the hydrogen ion
concentration of water with a pH of 5.0.
Similarly, pH 3.0 contains 100 times hydrogen
ions compare to pH 5.0. Hence, a slight variation
in pH provides a significant change in water
quality. The general pH equation is:
pH = -log[H+]
where the log is the base-10 logarithm and
[H+] stands for the hydrogen ion concentration in

[Type text]
 units of moles per liter. The term "pH" arises
from the German word "potenz," which means
"power," combined with H. So, pH is expressed
as "power of hydrogen." The term pOH is
sometimes used as the concentration of hydroxide
ions [OH−]. pOH values can be determined from
pH value. The [OH-] in water is related to the
[H+].
pOH = pKW – pH.
3. Instrumentation and reagents :
pH meter, 50 mL beaker, pH 7.0 buffer
solution, pH 4.0 buffer solution, pH 10.0 buffer
solution, distilled water in a wash bottle, tissue
paper, etc.

[Type text]
 Fig 7.1: Image of pH instrument representing
the pH meter along with electrodes.
4. Preparations of reagents :
Preparation of different buffer solutions
Generally, pH 4.0 and pH 7.0 Buffer solutions
are used for the calibration. If samples having pH
higher than 7.0, use pH10.0 buffer solution also.
a. 0.1 M Phosphate buffer pH 7.0 :
Take 80 mL of distilled water in a 100 mL
volumetric flask and add
1.548 g of sodium phosphate dibasic (mw: 268
g/mol) to the distilled water. Add 0.583 g of
sodium phosphate monobasic (mw: 138 g/mol) to
the solution. Adjust solution to final desired pH
using the addition of drops of HCl or NaOH.
Now, add distilled water to make volume 100
[Type text]
 mL.
b. 0.1 M Acetate buffer pH 4.0 :
Take 80 mL of distilled water in a 100 mL
volumetric flask and add
0.186 g of sodium acetate anhydrous (mw: 82
g/mol) to the distilled water. Further, add 0.464 g
of acetic acid (mw: 60.05 g/mol) to the solution.
Adjust the solution to final desired pH using
addition of HCl or NaOH drops. Now, add
distilled water to make volume 100 mL.
c. 0.1 M Carbonate-Bicarbonate buffer pH
10.0:
Take 80 mL of distilled water in a 100 mL
volumetric flask and add
0.388 g of sodium bicarbonate (mw: 84 g/mol) to
the distilled water. Further, add 0.571 g of sodium
carbonate anhydrous (mw: 106 g/mol) to the
solution. Now, add distilled water to make
volume 100 mL.

[Type text]
 Note: Buffer tablets are also available in the
market of different pH (e.g. 4.0, 7.0, 10.0, etc.)
for calibration and other purposes
5. Procedure Calibration of pH meter:
The instrument used to measure pH is known
as a pH meter. Fig. 7.1 shows the image of pH
meter along with electrode. Calibration of pH
meter is necessary because chemistry of the
electrode changes over time which will alter the
pH readings. The suggested time range for the
calibrations of the pH meter varies from one week
to one month according to the configuration of
instruments. Calibration is also required when the
battery was replaced or a new electrode was used
pH meter calibration and pH measurement
 Take about 25 mL of each buffer solution
into separate 50 mL beakers.
 Press the “CAL” button/relevant button.
 Rinse the electrode with distilled water and
shake gently to remove excess drops of
water
 Keep the electrode in the pH 4.0 buffer
solution and keep it vertically.
 Press the “RUN/ENTER”/relevant button
[Type text]
 on the pH meter and set the pH value 4.0.
 Now, Take the electrode into the pH 7.0
buffer solution and press
“RUN/ENTER”/relevant button and set the
pH value 7.0.
 Wait to record the pH value until it
measures a stable value. Once the reading
becomes stable, the results of the calibration
will be displayed on the instrument.
 After two-point calibration you can either
continue with a three- point calibration
using pH 10.0 buffer solution or start
testing.
 Press “M” (measuring mode)/relevant
button to measure the pH of samples.
 Now, Measure the pH of the unknown
samples and note the readings in the
observation table.
Note: The specific buttons of pH meter may
vary from one company to other. It is advised that
please see the user manual of your pH meter
carefully before us

[Type text]
 6. Procedure Of The Given Experiment :

• The water sample is properly mixed and

stirred using a glass rod
• By using a watch glass, sample of water
equal to 40ml (5ml more or less) is added to
the beaker. The temperature of the water is
allowed to stabilize by placing the sample
stand for 1 hour. In between this time stirring
can be done. After 1 hour, the temperature of
the water is measured and this temperature is
adjusted in the pH meter. Hence the pH
meter shows temperature similar to that of
the sample. All these adjustment to the
apparatus must be performed and fixed
before the test is conducted. There are some
pH meters with automatic temperature
controls. In such cases, the instructions
provided by the manufacturer have to be
followed.
• The standard solutions are used to
standardize the pH meter. Here also the
temperature is adjusted as mentioned above
procedure.

[Type text]
 • Next, into the water sample, the electrodes
are inserted. The beaker is turned and
adjusted so that there is good contact
between the electrodes and the water.
• Before starting the reading, the electrodes
have to be placed in the solution for more
than 30 seconds. This time period is required
for the proper stabilizing of the meter to have
proper reading. In pH meter that have an
automatic reading system, a signal will be
provided to tell that the meter is stabilized.
• Once the reading is shown, it must be read to
the nearest tenth of the whole number. If the
value shows to 100th place then it has to be
rounded off. The tenth-place digit is left if
the 100th place is less than 5. For values
greater than 5 after decimal, it is rounded to 1
unit. If the 100th place is equal to 5, the
nearest even number is taken as rounded
value.
• The apparatus must be maintained after each
use. The electrodes used are washed
thoroughly with distilled water. If there is
any form of film around the electrodes, it has
to be cleared. Wiping of the electrodes must
be avoided as this will result in polarization
which will result in slow response of the
experiment

[Type text]
7. Observation :
The pH of the given sample was found to be as
follows:
Sample 1 ( Tap Water ) : 7.6 pH

Sample 2 ( Packaged Drinking Water ): 7.1 pH

Sample 3 ( Sea Water ): 8.1 pH

8. Precautions :
 Check the buffer solution it should not an
expired solution.
 Do not contaminate the buffer solution.
Never keep the electrode in the buffer
solution container or put used buffer
solution back into the container.
 Rinse the beaker with a small amount of
buffer solution. It will help to remove small
amount of chemical residues.
 Rinse the pH electrode with distilled water
after each measurement.

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9. References :

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