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Titration Lab

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Titration is a technique that is used to determine and analyze the concentration of a substance. It is based off of mole ratios between the two substances taking part in the lab. Burets are used in the titration of substances, which are large glass tubes with a valve attached to the bottom to allow the specially measured amount of substance into another. The amount of each substance must be very precise and be recorded properly. The analysis of these reactions are usually simplified to a 1:1 ratio, just as this lab was. Three of the most commonly tested reactions include an acid-base reaction, an oxidation reaction, and a water analysis. An acid-base reaction consists of finding the amount of the acid or the base when mixed together, which is what the first part of this lab …show more content…

The process of titration is the adding of a base drop by drop into a flask of (in this case) 10.0 ml of acid along with three drops of phenolphthalein. The solution must be swirled continuously throughout the process until equilibrium is reached which will show a different color of solution than the beginning. Phenolphthalein is an acid-base indicator commonly used in titrations. Its molecular formula is C20H14O4 and it is a weak acid that can lose its H+ ions. In titrations, it turns the solutions pink when the base is added. The first part of the lab is a forward titration, which was explained above. The second part however, is what is called a back titration. A back titration is the reaction of an unknown substance with a carefully measured known chemical. The known substance is then analyzed to see exactly how much remains. Through stoichiometry, we can determine the amount of the known substance that the unknown substance used during titration. The molecular formula for Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is C6H8O6. Ascorbic acid is an organic compound derived from glucose. The name “Ascorbic” means (a-) “no” and (scorbutus), a disease caused by not having enough Vitamin C

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