When the concentration of an acidic or base in unknown, a titration can be carried out to determine the concentration. For unknown acidic solutions whose concentration is unknown, a base whose concentration is known is slowly added from a buret until it is neutralized. For unknown basic solutions, an acid is added. An indicator, such as one that will turn a light pink when equilibrium is reached, alerts you to the completion of the titration.
Instructions
Carry Out a Titration
1. Set up the experiment by putting the unknown solution into the beaker and the known solution goes in the buret.
2. Record the volumes of both solutions and then add the indicator to the beaker.
3. Slowly drip the known solution from the buret into the beaker. When the indicator turns the appropriate color, often a light shade of pink, stop because the titration is complete.
4. After the reaction is complete, subtract the amount of solution left in the buret from the amount that was originally put in to find out how much solution has been added.
5. Multiply the volume of the solution added times its concentration. Then divided this number by the original volume of the unknown solution. That number will be the concentration of the unknown solution. For example, if you added 5ml of 0.8 M solution to 4ml of the unknown solution, you would multiply five times 0.8 and divide by four. The result, 1.0, would be the concentration.
Tags: unknown solution, concentration unknown, Carry Titration, from buret, into beaker, known solution, whose concentration