pH – Titration Curves (OCR A Level Chemistry)

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PAG 11.2: pH – Titration Curves

  • Titration or pH curves are obtained by reacting known concentrations of acid with alkalis and measuring the pH during the neutralisation
  • A suitable selection to use would be 1.0 mol dm-3 solutions of
    • hydrochloric acid
    • ethanoic acid
    • sodium hydroxide
    • ammonia solution

  • A pH probe is calibrated by placing the tip of the probe in pH 4 buffer solution and adjusting until the reading is 4.0
    • The probe is washed in distilled water and then checked against pH 9 buffer
    • If is it working correctly it should read 9.0
    • This is known as a two-point calibration

  • 25 cm3 of ethanoic or hydrochloric acid is measured using a volumetric pipette and filler and then transferred into a beaker
  • Its pH is measured and recorded
  • The alkali (either sodium hydroxide or ammonia solution) is placed in the burette
  • 5 cm3 at time is added to the beaker and the pH measured after each addition, until a total of 50 cm3 has been added
  • The procedure is repeated for all four combinations of acids and alkalis

Specimen Titration Curve Results Table

Titration curve specimen results, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Analysis

  • The four characteristic titration curves are shown below
  • The more data points that are available; the easier it is to draw the shape of the curves.
    • So, it is often better to add smaller portions nearer the equivalence point

The four characteristic acid-base titration curves

Examiner Tip

You need to:

  • Be familiar with the shapes of the four titration curves
  • Be able to identify the type of acid and base (weak/strong)
  • Know where to locate the equivalence point

You also need to know the difference between the ‘end point’ and the ‘equivalence point’

  • End point = The point at which the indicator changes colour 
  • Equivalence point = The point at which stoichiometric (equal) amounts of acid and alkali have been added
    • This is found at the midpoint of the vertical section of a pH curve

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Richard

Author: Richard

Expertise: Chemistry

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.