Titration is a fundamental laboratory technique that allows chemists to determine the concentration of an unknown acid or base solution with high precision. It is widely used in chemistry and industry.
Titration is an analytical method used to find the exact concentration of an acid or a base by gradually adding a solution of known concentration (called the titrant) to a known volume of the unknown solution until the reaction reaches its equivalence point, where the amount of acid equals the amount of base.
Uses of Titration:
- Determining the concentration of acids or bases in chemical samples.
- Quality control in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and water treatment.
- Monitoring environmental pollution by measuring acidity or alkalinity in water sources.
- Studying reaction kinetics and stoichiometry in research laboratories.
Method Overview:
- A known volume of the acid or base (analyte) is placed in a flask.
- A few drops of an indicator may be added, which changes color at the equivalence point.
- A burette is filled with the titrant solution of known concentration.
- The titrant is slowly added to the analyte while stirring, until the indicator shows the endpoint (color change).
- The volume of titrant used is recorded.
- Using the titration formula and volumes, the concentration of the unknown solution is calculated.
Modern Techniques:
- pH Meter: Measures pH continuously, detecting the equivalence point precisely by a sharp change in pH.
- Conductimeter: Measures conductivity changes during titration to locate the equivalence point based on ion concentration.
