Acetic Acid in Water

Introduction:
Acetic acid is one of the simplest and more common organic acids. It is the chemical responsible for the sour
taste of vinegar. It is a weak acid and as such does not completely dissociate in water so the intact and
dissociated forms are in equilibrium in solution. Because of this equilibrium, the percent ionization of acetic
acid can be readily affected by subtle changes in experimental conditions. The percent ionization can be
determined by measuring the pH of the test solutions to determine the concentration of H3O+(aq).
CH3CO2H(aq) + H2O(l) CH3CO2–(aq) + H3O+(aq)

Safety Concerns:
Although the concentration of the acid used in this experiment is low and acetic acid is not exceptionally
hazardous, caution is still required. Wear your goggles at all times in the lab. Wipe up any spills
immediately and rinse the spilled area with water.

Experimental Procedure:
Part 1 – The Effect of Water on pH and Ionization

1A.In the laboratory you will find a stock solution of acetic acid that has a formal concentration of about 1 M.
Obtain 20-25 mL of this stock solution in a clean, dry beaker. Using a 10.00 mL pipette* and a 100.00
mL volumetric flask prepare a solution that has a concentration one-tenth that of the stock solution. Store
this acetic acid solution in a small, clean, dry beaker and label it, Solution #1. Thoroughly rinse (it is not
necessary to dry) the volumetric flask with water for use in part B.
* Be sure that the pipette is clean and rinse it with several small volumes of the solution to be
transferred so that the solution is not accidentally diluted because of any water in the pipette.

1B.Using solution #1, prepare a second solution (Solution #2) that is one-tenth as concentrated as solution
#1 (one-hundredth as concentrated as the stock solution). Again be careful to properly rinse the pipette
with solution #1 prior to pipetting. Calculate the concentration of this solution and label it Solution #2.

1C.Using solution #2 prepare two more solutions: one that is one-fifth as concentrated as solution #2 labeled
Solution #3 (one-five hundredth as conc. as the stock), and one that is one-tenth as concentrated as
solution #2 labeled Solution #4 (one-thousandth as conc. as the stock). Calculate the exact formal
concentration of these solutions. C1V1=C2V2

1D.Measure the pH of each solution. Save all solutions for now. The first solution (one-tenth the
concentration of the stock solution or about 0.1 M acetic acid) will be used in part II.
Q: Were the measured pH readings of these solutions different? Is there a trend? Can you explain
the trend in the measured pH?
1E. Use the measured pH and the formal concentration of the acid to determine the actual concentrations of
the species H3O+, CH3CO2– and CH3CO2H. Calculate the % ionization of CH3CO2H in each solution.
You may wish to consult other groups regarding your values.
Q: Explain the trend in your calculated percent ionization values. Are the concentrations of H3O+,
CH3CO2– and CH3CO2H related? Is there a mathematical expression that describes this
relationship?

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 Part 2 – The Effect of Sodium Acetate on pH and Ionization
Sodium acetate, CH3COONa, is a soluble salt.

Q: What ions will this salt produce in an aqueous solution? Predict whether the addition of sodium
acetate will have an impact on the reaction of acetic acid with water shown on the previous page? Do
you expect the pH of the acetic acid solution to change if sodium acetate is added to the solution?

2A. Weigh out about 0.1 g of anhydrous sodium acetate, CH3COONa. Record the mass in your lab
notebook. Using a graduated cylinder, measure 50.0 mL of the approximately 0.1 M acetic acid solution
saved from Part 1 into a clean, dry 150 mL beaker. Place a Teflon-coated stirring bar in the beaker and
use a stirring motor to stir gently. (Don’t make a tornado!) Place the pH probe in the solution (be careful
to not hit the probe with the stir bar). When the pH reading has stabilized, record the pH value. Add the
sample of sodium acetate (solid). When the sample has completely dissolved and the pH reading has
stabilized again, record the pH value.
Q: Did the pH reading change as you predicted it would when you added the sodium acetate to the
acetic acid solution? Can you explain the change in the measured pH?

Based on the change in pH when sodium acetate was added how would the percent ionization
value change? Do you think that the mathematical relationship between the concentrations of
H3O+, CH3CO2– and CH3CO2H that you obtained in part 1 will still apply in this solution with
added sodium acetate?

pH and the Concentration of Acids and Bases

The acidity (or basicity) of a solution can be determined by measuring the concentration of hydronium ions,
H3O+(aq), that result from the acid donating H+(aq) to a water molecule. Because these concentrations are
often quite small, it is more convenient to express them as pH. The pH of a solution is the negative logarithm
of [H3O+]:
pH = –log[H3O+]
[H3O+] = 10–pH

It is important to remember that the measured pH of a solution indicates how acidic or basic the
solution is, it does not directly indicate the strength of the acid (or base). The strength of an acid depends
upon its ability to ionize, usually in the presence of water. This can be described by the equation:
HA(aq) + H2O(l) H3O+(aq) + A–(aq)
where “HA(aq)” is an acid and “A–(aq)” is its conjugate base. The strength of the acid is determined by the
position of the equilibrium; the more product-favored the equilibrium, the “stronger” the acid. Acids are
typically classified as “weak” if the equilibrium is reactant-favored and “strong” if the equilibrium is product-
favored.
The strength of an acid can similarly be expressed as its percent ionization. Similar to the equilibrium
constant, the higher an acid’s percent ionization, the “stronger” the acid. A “strong” acid is considered to be
(essentially) 100% ionized in solution. Percent ionization compares the amount of acid that has ionized to
the total amount of acid present. The “total amount of acid present” expressed as a concentration is often
called the “formal concentration” of the acid and is usually the “initial concentration” in equilibrium
problems.
 

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