1900

OCT
2024

ACID – BASE TITRATON USING

DOUBLE INDICATOR TECHNIQUE

NAME CHAWURURA ISHMAEL MICHAEL

REGISTRATION R2422171
NUMBER
PROGRAM BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 1
COURSE BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(BMS102)

INTRODUCTION
ACID-BASE TITRATION OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE AND SODIUM CARBONATE
SOLUTION AGAINST HYDROCHLORIC ACID USING DOUBLE INDICATOR
TECHNIQUE OF PHENOLPHTHALEIN AND METHYL ORANGE
In this experiment we will be investigating the concentration of a mixture of alkali solution
containing roughly 3g/litre sodium hydroxide and 1g/litre of sodium carbonate. The mixture
will be titrated against a solution of hydrochloric acid at a concentration of 0.1M using the
double indicator method. The indicators to be used for this experiment are phenolphthalein
and methyl orange indicators. Phenolphthalein is pink in basic media and colourless in acidic
media whilst methyl orange is yellow in basic media and takes a reddish to orange colour in
acidic media
Consider a mixture of NaOH(aq) and Na2CO3(aq) takes place in two stages.
HCl(aq) + Na2CO3(aq) ⎯→ NaHCO3 (aq) + H2O(l) ………………….
(1)
HCl(aq) + NaHCO3(aq) ⎯→ NaCl(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) ………….
(2)
While that between HCl(aq) and NaOH(aq) completes in only one step:
HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) ⎯→ NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) ……………….……….
(3)
Solution mixture of reaction (1) at the equivalence point is alkaline, that of reaction (2) is
acidic and that of reaction (3) is neutral. Thus the whole titration should have three breaks in
the pH curve, corresponding to the above three stages. Reactions (1) and (3) can be indicated
by phenolphthalein and that of reaction (2) can be indicated by methyl orange
Stoichiometry confines each of the above reactions to react according to a mole ratio of 1: 1.
This means, say from equation (2), the number of moles of HCl(aq) determined from the
methyl orange titration is equal to the number of moles of NaHCO3(aq). Likewise, the total
number of moles of NaOH(aq) and Na2CO3(aq) in the solution mixture can be calculated
according to the volumes of HCl(aq) added at the endpoint indicated by the colour change of
the phenolphthalein indicator. Alternatively, the three break points (see Fig. 1) also indicate
the volume of HCl(aq) required for each reaction(‘Education Bureau -Double indicators.pdf’,
no date)

For the titration of a mixture of NaHCO3(aq)

and Na2CO3(aq) with HCl(aq), only two
break points are expected (see Fig.2). Volume
of HCl(aq) added for each breakpoint can be
easily obtained by observing either the colour
change at the endpoint or the shape of the
titration curve

MATERIALS AND APPARATUS

in this method, the first endpoint is indicated by the change in colour of phenolphthalein
indicator from pink to colourless while methyl orange is used to estimate the second end
point and the colour changes from yellow to orange.

The letter Xcm3 is used to denote the volume of HCl at phenolphthalein end point and
Ycm3 for volume of HCl used at methyl orange end point. A series of algorithmic expressions
is followed to arrive at a final expression:
 Volume of HCl that neutralizes all Na2CO3 = 2Y cm3
 Volume of HCl that neutralizes all NaOH = (X – Y) cm3

APPARATUS

1. 50cm3Conical Flask
2. 25ml Pipette and Filler
3. 200ml Beaker
4. Retort Stand and Clamp
5. Dropper
6. Funnel
7. 50ml Burette
8. White Tile
9. A Solution of a Mixture of NaOH and Na2CO3
10. 1m HCl Stock Solution
11. Methyl Orange (Ph Range 3.2-4.4),0.05g Dissolved In 50ml Water
12. Phenolphthalein 9ph Range 8.3-10.0)0.5g In 50ml Ethanol And 50ml Water
(M A N Benhura, 2012)

METHOD

Make 100ml of 0.1M HCl from stock. Place 25ml aliquot of unknown alkali
solution (containing NaOH and Na2CO3 into a conical flask

First Titration with Phenolphthalein:

o Add 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the solution in conical flask.

The solution will turn pink.
o Fill the burette with the hydrochloric acid solution.
o Slowly add the hydrochloric acid from the burette to the conical flask while
swirling the flask continuously.
o Stop adding the acid when you observe the pink colour just disappear and the
solution becomes colourless.
o Record the volume of acid used (V₁).

Second Titration with Methyl Orange:

o Add 2-3 drops of methyl orange indicator to the same solution (now
colourless). The solution will turn yellow when you add methyl orange.
o Continue adding hydrochloric acid from the burette until the appearance of the
first permanent reddish orange colour. Record the total volume of acid used
(V₂).

CALCULATIONS

Volume of acid used for the first endpoint (V₁): This corresponds to the
neutralization of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) to sodium carbonate (NaHCO₃).
 Volume of acid used for the second endpoint (V₂ - V₁): This corresponds to the
neutralization of sodium carbonate (NaHCO₃) to carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

RESULTS

ROUGH TITRE V1 V2
Final Volume/c m3 28.80 33.10
Initial Volume /c m3 1.60 1.60
Volume Used/c m3 27.20 31.50

PROCEDURE 1 V1 V2
Final Volume/c m3 28.50 32.50
Initial Volume /c m3 2.00 2.00
Volume Used/c m3 26.50 30.50

PROCEDURE 2 V1 V2
Final Volume/c m3 27.40 31.30
Initial Volume /c m3 1.20 1.20
Volume Used/c m3 26.20 30.10

PROCEDURE 3 V1 V2
Final Volume/c m3 27.90 31.80
Initial Volume /c m3 1.60 1.60
Volume Used/c m3 26.30 30.20

TITRE
V1(ml) V2(ml)
PROCEDURE 1 26.50 30.50
PROCEDURE 2 26.20 30.10
PROCEDURE 3 26.30 30.20
MEAN VALUE 26.33 30.27

ANALYSIS OF DATA

a) The mean volume of Hydrochloric Acid required to complete neutralize

i. NaOH only in phase 1
 Volume of HCl that neutralized NaOH is equal to V1(volume in phenolphthalein)-
(V2-V1)volume in methyl orange (Adarkwah and Amenorfe, 2022)
V(NaOH) = 26.33 – 3.94
= 22.39ml
ii. Na2CO3 in both phase 1 and 2
Volume of HCl that neutralized Na2CO3 is equal to 2(V2 – V1) that is volume in
methyl orange
V(Na2CO3) = 2*3.94 = 7.88ml

b) Concentration of NaOH and Na2CO3 in the unknown solution in g /l

Moles(HCl) = (0.1*22.39)/100 = 0.002239 moles

Reaction ratio of NaOH : HCl = 1 : 1

Concentration of NaOH = 0.002239 moles /0.025d m3= 0.09mold m−3

Concertation of NaOH in g/l = 0. 09mold m−3 * 40g/mol

=3.6 g / L

a) Concentration of Na2CO3 in the unknown solution in g /l

Moles (HCl)= (0.1*7.88)/100 = 0.000788moles

Reaction ratio – NaOH: HCl = 1: 1

Concentration of NaOH = 0.000788 moles /0.025d m3= 0.01576mold m−3

concentration of NaOH in g/l = 0. 01576mold m−3 * 105.99g/mol

=1.671g / L

Answers to Questions

a) According to the Bronsted-Lowry Theory

Acid: A substance that donates a proton (H⁺) to another substance. For example, in the
reaction:

HCl + H2O → H3O+1 + Cl−1

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) donates a proton to water (H₂O), forming hydronium (H₃O⁺) and
chloride (Cl⁻).(Paik, 2015)1

Base: A substance that accepts a proton (H⁺) from another substance. For example, in the
reaction:
NH3 + H2O → N H +4 + O H −1

Ammonia (NH₃) accepts a proton from water, forming ammonium (NH₄⁺) and hydroxide
(OH⁻).(Paik, 2015)

b) pH=−log ¿ ¿

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic (alkaline) a solution is. It stands for "potential
of Hydrogen" and indicates the concentration of hydrogen ions (H⁺) in a solution. The
pH scale ranges from 0 to 14:(Jennings, Mullen and Roy, 2010)

If H +¿¿ concentration is 6.5*10−5M pH is as follows

-log* H +¿¿ then -log*6.5*10−5M

pH = 4.187 ≈ 4.19

c) A buffer is a solution that resists changes in pH when small amounts of an acid or a base
are added. This stability is crucial in many chemical and biological processes where
maintaining a consistent pH is important.

Carbonate/Bicarbonate buffering action

Carbonic Acid: This is formed when carbon dioxide (CO₂) dissolves in water.

Bicarbonate Ion: This is the form carbonic acid takes when it loses a hydrogen ion

 Formation of Carbonic Acid:

Carbon dioxide from cellular respiration dissolves in blood plasma and reacts with water to
form carbonic acid.

 Dissociation of Carbonic Acid:

Carbonic acid can break down into hydrogen ions (H⁺) and bicarbonate ions (HCO₃⁻).

Buffering Action

 When pH Decreases (More Acidic):

Excess hydrogen ions are neutralized by bicarbonate ions, forming carbonic acid. This
reduces the concentration of free hydrogen ions, increasing the pH.

 When pH Increases (More Basic):

Carbonic acid breaks down to release hydrogen ions. This increases the concentration of free
hydrogen ions, decreasing the pH.(Good and Izawa, 1972)
d) Major disadvantages of using an indicator to measure the end-point in
an acid-base titration

Limited Accuracy: Indicators provide a visual colour change to signal the endpoint,
which can be subjective and less precise compared to instrumental methods like pH
meters

Narrow pH Range: Each indicator works effectively only within a specific pH range. If
the pH at the equivalence point falls outside this range, the indicator may not provide a
clear or accurate endpoint

Colour Change Ambiguity: The colour change of some indicators can be gradual rather
than sharp, making it difficult to determine the exact endpoint. This is especially
problematic in titrations involving weak acids or bases

Interference from Solution Colour: If the solution being titrated has a strong colour, it can
interfere with the visibility of the indicator’s colour change, leading to inaccurate results

Indicator Concentration: Using too much indicator can affect the pH of the solution,
altering the titration results. Conversely, using too little may make the colour change hard
to detect.

Temperature Sensitivity: The performance of some indicators can be affected by

temperature changes, which can alter the pH at which the colour change occurs

These limitations highlight why more precise methods, such as using a pH meter, are
often preferred for critical titrations.(Lizius and Evers, 1922)
REFERENCES
Adarkwah, D. and Amenorfe, L.P. (2022) ‘Teaching and Learning Strategies in Double
Indicator Titration: An appraisal of Chemistry Teachers’, Online Journal of Chemistry, pp.
39–52.

Good, N.E. and Izawa, S. (1972) ‘[3] Hydrogen ion buffers’, in Methods in Enzymology.
Academic Press (Photosynthesis and Nitrogen Fixation Part B), pp. 53–68. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/0076-6879(72)24054-X.

Jennings, P.A., Mullen, C.A. and Roy, M. (2010) ‘Titration and p H Measurement’, in Wiley,
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. 1st edition. Wiley. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0002700.pub2.

Lizius, J.L. and Evers, N. (1922) ‘Studies in the titration of acids and bases’, The Analyst,
47(557), p. 331. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1039/an9224700331.

M A N Benhura (2012) UZ BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY PRACTICAL

MANUAL. First Edition

Paik, S.-H. (2015) ‘Understanding the Relationship Among Arrhenius, Brønsted–Lowry, and
Lewis Theories’, Journal of Chemical Education, 92(9), pp. 1484–1489. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1021/ed500891w.

‘Education bureau _4_double_indicators.pdf’ (no date). Available at:

https://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/chemistry/s67chem/pdf/sdl_4_double_indicators.pdf
(Accessed: 6 October 2024).