SAMPLE OF A LAB REPORT

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Determination of the concentration of an aqueous solution of
HCl
Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University 21251
February 28, 2019

Abstract: The purpose of the experiment was to determine the concentration of

an aqueous solution of HCl. A solution of NaOH of known concentration was used to
titrate against the solution of HCl with phenolphthalein as the indicator. Three trials
were performed and the average concentration was found to be 0.1475 M with an
average deviation of 0.07%, and an error of 2.9%.

Introduction: The concentration of an unknown solution of HCl was to be determined.

This was done by titrating a sample of the solution against a solution of NaOH of known
concentration. The reaction involved is as follows:

HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq)  H2O (l) + NaCl (aq)

Phenolphthalein was used as the indicator which changes from colorless when acidic to pink
when basic. With the HCl solution in the flask, the solution would be colorless initially. When
just enough of the NaOH solution has been added to neutralize the HCl solution, the solution
would change to a pale pink. By measuring how much of the NaOH solution is needed to
neutralize the HCl solution, the concentration can be determined.

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18 SAMPLE OF A FORMAL LAB REPORT

Instrumentation
 50 mL burette
 4 250-mL Erlenmeyer flasks
 Magnetic stirrer
 Ring stand
 Burette clamp
 Phenolphthalein
 Unknown HCl
 0.1000M NaOH
 Index card and black marker

Experimental Details: The procedure described by Yau (Ref. 1) was followed, with the
exception that four trials were performed instead of three. The results of Trial #2 are not included
in the calculations because the endpoint was too pink. In addition, instead of swirling the mixture
by hand as stated in the procedure, a magnetic stirrer was used instead.

A solution of HCl labeled as Unknown #159 was used in the experiment. Four 250-mL
Erlenmeyer flasks were labeled 1 through 4. Into each flask was added 25.00 mL of the HCl
solution, 50.0 mL of deionized water, two drops of phenolphthalein, and a magnetic stir bar.
A 50-mL buret was set up on a ring stand and filled with 0.1000 M NaOH. A magnetic stir
plate was set up under the buret. Flask 1 (serving as a rough trial) was placed on the stir plate
under the buret and titrated with the 0.1000 M NaOH until a faint pink color developed and
remained for 30 seconds. The volume of NaOH used in the rough trial was noted in order to
serve as a guide to obtaining a good endpoint for the other three trials. For each of the other
three flasks, the NaOH was run in quickly until the volume added was about 1 mL less than
the volume used in the rough trial. Then for each flask, the NaOH was added drop wise until
a faint pink color persisted for 30 seconds. The volume of NaOH used for each flask was
carefully noted and used to calculate the concentration of the HCl solution. The average
concentration (or mean), the deviation, and average deviation were also calculated. The true
value for the concentration of the HCl was provided and this value was used in the
calculation of the percent error.

Data and Results

HCl Unknown # = 159
Volume of HCl solution used in each titration = 25.00 mL
Concentration of NaOH solution = 0.1000 M

Trial # #1 #2 #3 #4
Final Buret Reading of NaOH 35.38 mL 36.90 mL 36.26 mL 35.81 mL
Initial Buret Reading of NaOH 0.10 mL 1.12 mL 1.06 mL 0.55 mL
Volume of NaOH soln used 35.28 mL 35.78 mL 35.20 mL 35.26 mL
Color at Endpoint pale pink very pink pale pink pale pink
Trial #2 was obviously past the end point and will not be included in the calculations.
 SAMPLE OF A LAB REPORT 19

Calculations
Using the volume of NaOH reacted in each trial and the molarity of NaOH, the molarity of
HCl (Unknown #159) was calculated. The calculation of the HCl concentration for Trial 2 is
shown below.

The calculation of the deviation from the mean for the concentration of HCl is calculated as
shown below for Trial 1, 3, 4.
The calculations that you
Deviation from Average: |experimental value  average value|
will be required to show and
Trial #1: |0.1411  0.1410| M = 0.0001 M
perform will be dependent
Trial #3: |0.1408  0.1410| M = 0.0002 M on the lab experiment. You
Trial #4: |0.1410  0.1410| M = 0.0000 M should refer to your lab
specific template.
Average Deviation = Sum of Deviation from Average/# of trials
(0.0001 + 0.0002 + 0.0000) M / 3 = 0.0001 M

Relative Average Deviation

average deviation
 x 100
average value
0.0001 M
 x 100  0.07 % deviation
0.1410 M

Calculation of Error in Average Molarity:

The correct molarity of the HCl solution = 0.1452 M (Ref. 2)
error = average value  correct value
= 0.1410 M  0.1452 M =  0.0042 M
error
% error = x 100
correct value
-0.0042 M
= x 100
0.1452 M
= - 2.9 % error

See attached sheet for additional calculations Appendix-2 (show a sample calculation and
attach write additional calculations on a separate sheet to the end of the report.)

Discussion:

The NaOH solution was added dropwise to the HCl solution until a pale pink color appeared
and remained after 30 seconds of mixing. Technically, the pink color indicated that the
solution had past the neutral point. However if only a pale pink color was present, the
solution was only slightly basic and could be taken as being neutral. This pale pink endpoint
20 SAMPLE OF A FORMAL LAB REPORT

would be very close to the equivalence point, where the number of moles of HCl equals to
the number of mole of the NaOH.

By measuring how much of the NaOH solution was needed to neutralize the HCl solution, the
number of moles of NaOH was determined by the equation: # mole = M × V. At the equivalence
point, the number of moles of NaOH is the same as the number of moles of HCl according to the
balanced equation. The concentration of the HCl was then calculated from the equation: M = #
mol / # L HCl solution.

Below is a table showing the final results from the three trials calculated in the manner shown in
calculations.

Trial # #1 #3 #4 Average
Concentration of HCl 0.1411 M 0.1408 M 0.1410 M 0.1410 M
Deviation from Average 0.0001 M 0.0002 M 0.0000 M 0.0001 M*
*Average of the deviations of the three trials.
Relative average deviation is 0.07% deviation.
Percent error is 2.9% error.

Trial #2 was discarded because the endpoint was much too pink. In addition, the volume of
NaOH solution needed to bring it to the endpoint was much larger than the others. A decision
was made to perform a 4th trial in place of Trial #2.

When the result of Trial #2 is discarded, the relative average deviation is only 0.07%, which
shows that the precision is quite good.

The percent error of 2.9% shows that the accuracy is good, but could be improved upon. The
negative sign tells us that reported molarity is lower than the correct value. Perhaps the error is
due to the pipet used to deliver the HCl solution was not properly calibrated. This would explain
why the precision was excellent and yet the accuracy was as good as expected. If the pipet was
wet the first time it was used, it would not explain why all the trials gave results that were
consistently low. To improve upon the experiment………

In conclusion, the concentration of Unknown # 159 was determined to be 0.1411 M HCl,

based on three titration trials, with a relative average deviation of 0.7 parts per thousand and
an error of -2.9%. The closeness of the experimental value (0.1411 M) to the true value
(0.1452 M) suggests that a simple acid-base titration is an effective method for finding the
concentration of an acid. This experiment validates the use of titration as an effective method
to determine concentrations of substances, of which have been applied to everyday uses such
as blood sugar testing for diabetics and pregnancy test for women.

References:
1. Yau, C. L. Chem 108 Experiments in Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory, 2nd Ed;
Academx: Baltimore, MD, 2007; pp 135-139.
2. Bare, S. CHEM101 Laboratory Manual… pp 135-139.
3. Rice, D. MSU-Baltimore, personal communication, 2018
 SAMPLE OF A LAB REPORT 21

Examples of how references are to be listed based on the

American Chemical Society (ACS) Style Guide:
Each reference begins with a reference number corresponding to the number you
gave in the body of the report.

How to give reference to UNPUBLISHED DATA (such as data from fellow

classmates):
1. Brown, J. HCCC-Columbia, personal communication, Feb 2015.

How to give reference to BOOKS:

Author’s last name, initials, Title (in italics), edition; Publisher: City, State (in 2
letters), Year; pages or chapter
2. Rose, C.L. CHEM 102 Experiments in Chemistry Laboratory,
3nd Ed; Academx: Bel Air, MD, 2009; pp 56-61.

3. Malone, L. J. Basic Concepts of Chemistry, 7th ed.; John Wiley &

Sons: St. Louis, MO, 2004, pp 145-148.

How to give reference to HANDBOOKS:

4. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 81st ed. Lide, D.R., Ed.;
CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2000-2001; p. 4-73.
5. The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals,
12th ed. Budavari, S.; O’Neal, M.J.; Smith, A.; Heckelman, P.E.;
Kinneary, J.F., Eds.; Merck & Co.: Whitehouse Station, NJ, 1996; entry
4857.

How to give reference to JOURNALS:

Author’s last name, initials (separated by semicolon if more than one). Title
of Journal (italics). Year (bold), Volume (italics), Page.

6. Liu, S.; Armes, S. P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 9910

How to give reference to WEBSITES:

7. http://pubs.acs.org/books/references.shtml (accessed June 17, 2007)
8. http://chemfinder.cambridgesoft.com (accessed July 14, 2004)

Note that if the Internet is used as a source, a date must be stated as to when
the information was accessed. Unlike information obtained from printed
matter, it could vary from one day to another. Care should also be taken that
the website is dependable. It should either be supported by well-known
organizations, or at least provide the names of the authors and the
organizations to which they belong.

Go to the first URL under “WEBSITES” above for examples of formats for other
types of references not listed above.