SCH3U Name: Jasmin Tatla

Louise Arbour Secondary SchooL

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
GRADE 11 UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY

CHEMICAL QUANTITIES: TITRATION ANALYSIS OF H2SO4

Purpose: To find the concentration of H2SO4 in a sample.

Chemical Reaction: H2SO4 (aq) + 2NaOH (aq) —> Na2SO4 (aq) + 2H2O (l)

Materials:
- Burette
- Retort Stand
- Stopcock
- Waste Beaker
- Volumetric Pipette
- Erlenmeyer Flask
- White Paper
- Scrub Brush
- 60mL of NaOH
- 2-3 drops of Phenolphthalein
- 10 mL of H2SO4

Procedure:
(Preparing the burette)
1. Get about 60 mL of NaOH solution from the front bench in a clean, dry labeled beaker.
2. Record the concentration of the NaOH solution. [NaOH] = 0.215M
3. Set up the burette clamp on a retort stand.
4. Add about 3 mL of NaOH solution to the burette over the sink.
5. Swirl the NaOH in the burette to rinse it all along its length.
6. Allow the NaOH to run out the stopcock into the sink.
7. Attach the burette to the clamp.
8. Pour NaOH into the burette until it is almost up to the zero line.
9. Allow a small amount of NaOH to run out into a waste beaker.
(Doing the Titration)
10. Use a rinsed (with H2SO4) volumetric pipette to transfer 10.00 mL of the H2SO4 solution to a
clean Erlenmeyer flask.
11. Record the volume of H2SO4 solution used.
12. Add 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein to the 10.00 mL of H2SO4 solution in the flask.
13. Place the flask on a sheet of white paper under the burette.
14. Record the initial volume of NaOH in the burette to the nearest 0.01 mL.
15. Titrate the 10.00 mL of H2SO4 solution with the NaOH solution in the burette until the
equivalence point is reached. Gradually decrease the amount of NaOH you add to the
solution. You will need to be careful not to go over the equivalence point. If you do this you will
need to repeat the lab again
16. Record the final volume of the NaOH in the burette to the nearest 0.01 mL.
17. Calculate the volume of NaOH used.
18. Discard the solution in the flask down the drain with plenty of water and scrub the flask with a
scrub brush.
19. Repeat steps 10 to 18 at least 2 more times, until you have three volumes of NaOH that are
very close to each other. (Volumes should be within 0.1 mL of each other)
20. Clean out the burette with your left-over dilute H2SO4 and then water before putting away.

Observations: (Make sure to include units in your chart!)

Trial #1 Trial #2 Trial #3
Volume of H2SO4 used 10 ml 10 ml 10 ml

Initial volume of NaOH

55mL 32.5mL

Final volume of NaOH

22.5mL 21.5mL
Total NaOH used
Final - Initial 32.5mL 11mL

Calculations: [T/I]
Average volume of
NaOH used 21.5 mL

Number of moles of n= 0.0026875 mol

NaOH

Number of moles of
n= 0.00134375
H2SO4

Concentration of H2SO4 0.134M

Picture of Calculations Conducted:

Analysis:

1. Calculate the % error between the expected concentration and your experimental value. [T/I]

% Error = expected concentration - measured concentration x 100%

expected concentration

% Error= 0.175M - 0.134M x 100%

0.175M

% Error= 0.041 x 100%

0.175

% Error= 23.4%

2. Determine the %(m/v) concentration of the sulfuric acid. [T/I]Find mass:

%m/v = 0.0000164g/0.01L
= 0.00164 (m/v)%
m= n/M

m= 0.00134375/82.09

m= 0.0000164 g
Discussion:

1. Discuss errors (at least two) that may have occurred in your lab procedure and
suggest ways in which those errors could be minimized in the future. (DO NOT
INCLUDE HUMAN ERRORS) [T/I]

A titration lab is required to be performed very carefully so that the best possible results
are provided. A possible error when conducting this lab is the instruments used. This
investigation includes a lot of instruments. Any fault in the instrument can not provide
accurate results. An example of such would be the stopcock on the bruette. The base
was still able to come out in drops even when the stopcock was turned on. When we
conducted the investigation, we would rotate the stopcock so that the base wouldn’t
come out. However, sometimes it would still come out as drops. If the end point is
reached then the base would overflow into the acid and that will interfere with your
results. A way to minimize this error is to keep an eye on the instruments that are used at
all times. Which may minimize this error, as the instruments may be fixed and their way
of functioning will not impact the investigation. Therefore the maintenance and how
the equipment functions has a huge impact on the results the lab provides. Another
experimental error that may have occurred during the lab procedure is the
concentration. If the concentration is not accurate that will cause the results in your lab
to vary. If you start off with a wrong concentration then you will not be able to
successfully do your investigation. The concentration may be wrong because the
solution could have been incorrectly prepared. Contamination may have also
occurred in the solution, through the equipment being dirty. To avoid this error of having
contaminated instruments, you should clean equipment carefully and follow all the
steps required to clean the equipment thoroughly.

2. A titration curve is a graph of pH vs. volume of titrant. The graph at right shows a
typical titration curve for the titration of a strong acid by a strong base. (A strong
base is one that has relatively high dissociation in water.) Why do you think the
titration curve has the shape it has? How would you expect the titration curve to
look for the neutralization reaction of H2SO4 with NaOH? [T/I]

A titration curve of a strong base and a strong acid is when the moles of acid and
base are identical and the pH is 7, the equivalence point is attained. When the
graph shows a strong-acid and strong- base the graph creates an S-shape. A
titration curve gets steep when the equivalence point is reached. The volume of the
curve has a steady increase and the curve is asymmetrical, the steadiness causes
the solution to be more dilute. This causes the curve to be steep when the
equivalence point is reached. This S-shaped curve starts at the bottom where the
volumes of both the acid and base are being mixed. As the solutions titrate the
curve starts to become steady and goes up straight as the volume remains the
same. Once the equivalence point is reached the ph stops and the volume starts to
increase. I think that the curve for H2SO4 with NaOH would be similar to the one
shown. This is because H2SO4 is a strong acid and NaOH is a strong base. As the
 question mentions that the graph shows a typical titration of a strong acid by a
strong base. Which means that this curve should be similar in shape and volume
should be different for that curve.

3. Once you know the concentration of a strong acid or a strong base, you can
estimate its pH. Calculate the pH of the H2SO4 based on the concentrations you
determined. Show all your work. [T/I]

Calculations are shown on paper:

You may also find the pOH, you can do this by subtracting 0.396 from 14. However this
question doesn’t ask for the pOH.

4. Why is it necessary to rinse the burette with a few millimeters of the sodium hydroxide
solution used in the titration before filling it up with this solution? [T/i]

Rinsing a burette is an important part when conducting a lab. This is because the burette
being previously rinsed, causes for the accuracy of the results in the lab to increase. In
micro-volume pipettes it will neutralize the capillary effect. Rinsing also equalizes the
temperature. In this case where it is a good idea to rinse the burette before the lab, you can
do it with the base or distilled water. Rinsing it with the solution is known to be a better option.
The burette is made out of glass, and due to polarity and intermolecular forces the water will
absorb and remain on the surface. As distilled water has the ability to change the
concentration of the base, it is a better option to rinse it with the sodium hydroxide. This is
because that is what is going to be put in the burette when the titration is performed.
Conclusion: Summarize your quantitative results. [C]

The quantitative results of this lab state the volume of the NaOH. During the investigation, two
trails were conducted in total. The first trial had a final volume of 32.5mL, and the second trail
had a volume of 11mL. The procedure read that the volumes should be within 0.01mL of each
other. However, the quantitative results didn’t meet these expectations. This may be because
of possible sources of error that could have occurred during the lab. The purpose of this
investigation is to learn how to find the titration. Theoretically finding the titration had been
taught however, this investigation has taught you how to calculate titrations using equipment
and finding the endpoint.

SCH3U0 Titration Analysis of H2SO4 Report Rubric and Checkbric

Achievement Criteria
Chart
Category
Communication • Provides detailed titles and chart numbers for charts and graphs.

Overall Level: • Provides detailed answers to discussion questions using full sentences. Refers to
quantitative and qualitative results to support discussion answers.

__________ • Provides a final conclusion summarizing qualitative and quantitative results.

Inquiry Observations:
• Records detailed qualitative observations including mention of state, colour,
clarity and observable changes during reactions.
Overall Level:
• Records accurate quantitative results including units and appropriate precision.

Analysis and Discussion:

_________ • Provides accurate and detailed calculations and graphs including formulas, units
and appropriate steps.

• Provides thoughtful answers to discussion and analysis questions.