Titration Techniques and Equipment

Titrations are a common quantitative laboratory technique used to determine the concentration of an unknown chemical, often in the process of acid-base reactions The process is based on the principle of stoichiometry, where the moles of the titrant (the standard solution of known concentration) are stoichiometrically equal to the moles of the analyte (the solution of unknown concentration) at the equivalence point The titration process can be visual, with a color change, allowing the reaction process to be monitored and the amounts of reactants measured

Titration equipment and techniques:

White paper: used to see a color change in the solution
Volumetric pipet (pipette) and pipet bulb
pH indicator: the type depends on the reactants
Erlenmeyer or conical flask
Titrant (the standard solution of known concentration) and analyte (the solution of unknown concentration)
Wash bottle
Waste container or beaker
Titration apparatus, often a burette, which is a long, glass tube with a tap at the end used to add drops of liquid very carefully to a test

Acid-base titrations: Acid-base titrations are used to find the amount of a known acidic or basic substance through acid-base reactions The analyte is the solution with an unknown molarity, and the reagent is the solution with a known molarity that will react with the analyte The titration process is carried out by slowly and carefully titrant is added to the analyte and indicator mixture The endpoint is the point at which an added titrant's moles are stoichiometrically equal to the moles of the sample, and the smallest amount of titrant needed to fully neutralize or react with the analyte

Equivalence Point Indicators: An equivalence point indicator is a substance that changes color at the end point, the point at which an added titrant's moles are stoichiometrically equal to the moles of the sample Choosing a suitable indicator for the titration process is critical, as it must produce a color change at the end point

Titration Materials:

White paper
Volumetric pipet (pipette) and pipet bulb
pH indicator
Erlenmeyer or conical flask
Titrant (the standard solution of known concentration) and analyte (the solution of unknown concentration)
Wash bottle
Waste container or beaker
Titration apparatus, often a burette
Universal indicator: a carefully combined collection of dyes that can be used to determine the pH more accurately

Titration techniques and equipment are essential for determining the concentration of unknown subt