A Titration of Potassium Hydroxide Phthalate and Sodium Hydroxide
Hanna Piper
Department of Chemistry, SUNY College at Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420
Chemistry 205.06
Abstract
Titrations are used to find the molarity of an unknown solution. A titration begins with an analyte and titrant being used to measure the unknown molarity of the analyte. In the following experiment, sodium hydroxide was used as the titrant and potassium hydroxide phthalate was used as the analyte. The molarity of the sodium hydroxide was found to be 0.1122 ±0.0044 M.
Introduction
A titration is a chemical reaction where a solution, solution 1, is added to another solution, solution 2, until signs of a complete chemical reaction are apparent, usually when there is a color change due to a chemical indicator. (http://preparatorychemistry.com/Bishop_Titration.htm) In order to titrate an acidic solution to determine the number of moles of acid in it, you would want to use a base as the titrant. In a titration using a solution of potassium hydrogen phthalate and sodium hydroxide, of an unknown molarity, the potassium hydrogen phthalate was the titrant with a known molarity of 0.1M. An unknown molarity of sodium hydroxide was used, as the analyte. An analyte is a substance of unknown concentration. Phenolphthalein was used, as an indicator, to show when the chemical reaction was finish. KHP is potassium hydrogen phthalate, and is a weak acid. Potassium hydrogen phthalate is a white, odorless crystal that is odorless and can cause mild skin irritation if not rinsed from skin in an aqueous form. (Chemistry Lab Manual) Sodium hydroxide, NaOH, is a very corrosive base, and is a white crystal in solid form. It can cause tissue damage if not kept from skin. (www.britannica.com) The chemical equation for KHP is KHC8H4O4. The chemical equation of sodium hydroxide is NaOH. (Chemistry Lab Manual) The balanced chemical equation for the chemical reaction of sodium
Cited: "Sodium (Na) (chemical Element) :: Principal Compounds -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . SUNY Brockport. "Acid-Base Titrations." Chemistry Lab Manual. Print.