DISCUSSION

-first method (titration)

Based on the graph, notice that one equivalent point is achieve which means that at this point the
number of moles of [OH] ions is equal to number of moles of [H].The equivalence point is
divide by 2 to get the equation pH=pKa. This is shown by using Henderson-Hasselbalch
equation or at the expression for Ka
pH = pKa + log [base]/[acid]
where "base" and "acid" are the weak acid and its conjugate base.

At half equivalence point, the concentrations of the weak acid and its conjugate base are equal.
So that ratio is 1. The log of 1 is zero, so, the pH = pKa.
After analyzing the value of Ka, it concluded to be acetic acid. The unknown Ka value is is
1.061x10^-5 whereas actual value of Ka of acetic acid is merely different which is 1.76x10^-
5.As for the pKa value of the unknown acid is 4.98 whereas the pKa for acetic acid is 4.75.
-second method (half volume)
By using the second method ,the end point (point at which the uknown acid plus phenopthalein
indicator change colour from colorless to slightly pink. One commonly
used indicator is phenolphthalein, which is colorless in acidic and neutral solutions
but reddish pink in basic solutions. At the equivalence point, all the unknown acid present has
been neutralized by the added NaOH and the solution is still colorless. However, if we add just
one more drop of NaOH solution from the buret, the solution will immediately turn pink
because the solution is now basic.

The pKa of the uknown acid at the end point is 4.95(Ka= 1.122x10^-5) whereas the actual value
of the acetic acid is 4.75(Ka=1.76x10^-5) so the unknown acid may be the acetic acid and it only
differ in value that may come from the error from or lacks during conducting the experiments.


The main objective of the experiment is to determine the value of Ka and also to determine the
types of the unknown acid. However an error calculated based on the Ka is about 39.72% and
4.61% for pKa after comparing with theoretical value from the first method (titration) and about
4.04% for the pKa and 36.23% for the Ka of second method (half volume) .Therefore, a few
mistakes or lacks of awareness of the precautions that must be considered when conducting the
experiments may be the reasons.

First error may be come from the pH meter because it never gives the definite readings, as the
values are always changing rapidly.Thus one can never tell the accurate readings of pH
values.Therefore this will always affect the titration curve as well as pKa values which
correspond to the pKa values at half equivalence point.
Secondly, the error may be come from the parallax error,that happened during seeing the
reading of burette. The eyes should be perpendicular to the reading scale of the burette so the
reading of the burette made from this experiment met with parallax error that effects the results.
In addition,the pH electrode might have come into contact with the magnetic stirrer.Therefore
a problem might be encountered during the readings of pH value from the pH meter.

CONCLUSION
The experimental value for pKa and Ka of the unknown acid is 4.98 and 1.061x10^-5 for the first
method(titration) and for the second method (half volume) the value for pKa and Ka is 4.95 and
1.122x10^-5.theoretically the value for pKa and Ka for the unknown acid which is believed to be
acetic acid are 4.75 and 1.76x10^-5. An error calculated based on the Ka is about 39.72% and
4.61% for pKa after comparing with theoretical value from the first method (titration) and about
4.04% for the pKa and 36.23% for the Ka of second method (half volume) .Therefore, there is
only slighty different from the theoretical value compared from the experimental values for both
method.hence the unknown acid is identified as acetic acid and the value determined by the half
volume method is more accurate method.