TITRATION PROCEDURE

Aim: To determine the molarity and strength of oxalic acid. You are provided with M/10 solution of sodium hydroxide.

Step by step procedure to carry out titration:

1. Wash the burette with distilled water and close the nozzle.
2. Rinse it with oxalic acid solution. (Take about 5 mL of oxalic acid solution in the burette, topple it gently, swirl it
and discard the rinsed solution into the sink)
3. Close the burette’s nozzle.
4. Fill it up to 0 mark (ensure lower meniscus of the solution).
5. Clamp the burette in the stand.
6. Place the pipette pump in the pipette and ensure that the pump is not bulging so that liquid can be easily drawn
through it.
7. Wash the pipette with distilled water taken in the conical flask.
8. Rinse the pipette with sodium hydroxide by taking a little of it and discard the sodium hydroxide.
9. Pipette out 10 mL of sodium hydroxide (up to the mark by ensuring lower meniscus) into a conical flask.
10. Add a few drops of phenolphthalein. The mixture will turn pink.
11. Add oxalic acid from the burette drop by drop into the conical flask until pink colour becomes colourless.

Best practices:

a) Hold the conical flask with 3 fingers on your right and keep three fingers of your left on the nozzle of the
burette.
b) Be careful with your work and don’t engage in unnecessary conversation with your friends as otherwise you will
miss out the end point.
c) Repeat the procedure two times.

Calculation:
COOH + 2NaOH → COONa + 2H2O
| |
COOH COONa
V1M1 = V2M2
n1 n2

V1 – volume of NaOH; M1 – molarity of NaOH; n1 = 2; V2 – volume of oxalic acid; M2 – molarity of oxalic acid; n2 = 1