Instrumental Analytical Methods

Lab Report 2013

Anastazija Ristovska
Experiment 8
Conductometric Titration of Sulfuric Acid with Sodium Base

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the mass of sulfuric acid by measuring
the conductance of an H2SO4 solution of unknown concentration while it is being titrated (and
neutralized) with NaOH(aq). The concentration of the NaOH standard solution was 0.1M. A
sulfuric acid solution probe of unknown concentration was given to us by the TA and this was
diluted to 100 ml in a volumetric flask. Since the resistance of the solution is just the inverse of
its conductance, we used a conductance meter to measure both. A conductance meter system
was set up and 0.5ml portions of the 0.1M NaOH titrant was being slowly added to the titrated
solution of sulfuric acid, measuring the resistance after each addition of 0.5ml titrant. The range
of resistance was 1k to 10 k. The values are recorded in the table below and the conductance
and resistance are plotted in two separate tables. Each time a 0.5ml titrant portion was added the
conductance of the solution decreased because in the neutralization reaction the amount of free
(unbound) ions in the solution decreased as salt and water were forming. Then at one point the
sulfuric acid was completely spent and from that moment on with each sodium base titrant
addition the conductance of the solution was increasing because of the free ions in solution
introduced by the dissociating NAOH base.
The titration end point was reached at 3.75ml of aqueous 0.1M NaOH added, at which
point the value of the conductance was 0,185 Siemens. The mass of H2SO4 in the initial probe
from the volumetric flask is:
m(H2SO4)/20ml=V(NaOH)*[NaOH]*MW(H2SO4)
m(H2SO4)=3.75ml*0.1mol/L*98.08g/mol=(3.75ml)*(0.0001mol/ml)*(98.08g/mol)*20=0.7356g
Thus the mass of sulfuric acid was found to be m(H2SO4)=735.6mg.
In this reaction we monitored the electrolytic conductivity of the solution i.e. the reaction
mixture while continuously adding a titrant. The conductivity in our titration was directly linked
to the total dissolved solids. For example, the conductivity of seawater is a million times higher
than that of deionized water due to the amount of dissolved salts and minerals in sea water that
are absent in deionized water. The conductivity was determined by measuring the AC resistance
of the solution placed between two electrodes. Even though seemingly only one electrode was
inserted in the solution, there were two plates in this electrode and therefore it is considered two
electrodes about 1cm apart.
Our plots are an example of what the conductometric titration plots of strong acidstrong base pairs look like.
1

The titration end point was also known as the equivalence point, and at this point the
conductivity underwent a sudden change. The sudden change was due to the changing
concentrations of the two most highly conducting ions i.e. the hydrogen and hydroxyl ions.
During the titration for each portion NaOH added the equivalent molar amount of hydrogen
ions was removed in the form of water molecules and the hydrogen cation was replaced by a
slower moving sodium Na+ cation. Since Na+ is moving more slowly than H+, this decreases the
conductance of the solution.
0,700

0,500
0,400

0,300

conductance (S)

0,200
3,75ml; 0,185 S
0,100
0,000
0

10

Volume 0.1M NaOH added (ml)

6
5.4,3.75ml
5
Resistance (Ohms)

Conductance (Siemens)

0,600

4
3
2
1
0
0

10

Volume 0.1M NaOH added (ml)

V(NaOH) (ml)

Conductance (S)

Resistance ()

0,588

1,7

0,5

0,556

1,8

0,500

1,5

0,435

2,3

0,385

2,6

2,5

0,313

3,2

0,270

3,7

3,25

0,237

4,22

3,5

0,208

4,8

3,75

0,185

5,4

0,185

5,4

4,25

0,192

5,2

4,5

0,208

4,8

4,85

0,227

4,4

0,238

4,2

5,25

0,263

3,8

5,5

0,278

3,6

5,75

0,303

3,3

0,323

3,1

6,25

0,345

2,9

6,6

0,370

2,7

0,417

2,4

7,5

0,455

2,2

0,500

8,5

0,526

1,9

0,588

1,7