Titration is a commonly used laboratory technique in which a solution of known concentration (the titrant) is used to determine the concentration of another solution (analyte). We slowly add the known solution to the unknown solution with a burette until neutralization is achieved, indicating the equivalent point or the point at which chemically equivalent quantities of reagents have been mixed. Titrations are most commonly used when you need to find the pH level of an unknown solution. To perform a titration it is necessary to use certain glass instruments. We need to use volumetric glassware such as a volumetric flask, a pipette and a burette and non-volumetric glassware such as a glass funnel, a beaker and a flask. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Assay Additionally, you need to use an analytical balance to get accurate weighing of samples and precipitates. As mentioned above, the titrant (known solution) is added to the analyte (unknown solution) until the stoichiometric volume of the titrant reaches the equivalent point or until chemically equivalent amounts of bases and acids are mixed. There are two methods commonly used to determine this equivalence point. One method is to monitor the pH during the titration with a pH electrode, a glass ion-selective electrode sensitive to hydrogen ions, and the equivalent point identified at the point of rapid pH change. Another way to determine the equivalence point is with an indicator which in this case is phenophthalein. Phenophthalein, the indicator in this specific experiment, will change color in response to the chemical change, implying that the end point has been reached. Phenolphthalein has a pH of 8.3-10, where it will appear pink in basic solution and clear in acidic solutions. To carry out an effective titration, the concentration of the standard solution must be known with extreme precision. In this experiment you need to standardize the sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. Solid NaOH can be used to prepare a solution, but the mass may not be accurate due to sodium hydroxide's hygroscopic characteristics, meaning it attracts water. Therefore, the mass of sodium hydroxide will include the mass of water along with the CO2 from the air. Therefore, to determine the concentration of sodium hydroxide it was necessary to titrate it against a primary standard, which in this experiment is potassium hydrogen phthalate. A primary standard is a pure compound that does not decompose at room temperature and resists water absorption. The KHP is dried before use and the exact mass of the KHP can be determined using the analytical balance. Then, the KHP is dissolved in water and then titrated with NaOH, creating the standard solution. This is necessary because standard solutions allow you to determine the concentration of other substances and perform titration accurately. After preparing this standard solution of NaOH, you can determine the concentration of an unknown acidic solution, the analyte. Next, we determine the concentration of an aqueous HCL solution by slowly titrating it with a NaOH solution of known concentration until it reaches a pale pink color that persists for approximately thirty seconds. The molarity of HCL is calculated based on the molarity and volume of the NaOH solution and the volume of the HCL solution. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay.