This week in the lab, you will complete a Titration.
The point of a Titration is to discover the concentration, or Molarity, of an unknown substance. The only part of the lab that is initially revealed to you before the lab begins is the concentration of the titrant, or substance performing the Titration. The titrant in this case would be the 0.500 M of HCl. Your goal in the lab is to reach the endpoint, or the point where the HCl concentration and the NaOH concentration are equal. At this point, you can determine the Molarity of the NaOH, the "unknown substance", using the following formula:
M1V1=M2V2
After recording the volume of HCl used and the volume of NaOH used, you can determine the concentration of the sodium hydroxide since the concentration of HCl is already known. .
What are some common uses of Titration?
The medical field has very real-life applications of Titration. Pharmacists use Titration in their field. Doctors also use Titration to ensure they give patients the proper concentration of anesthetics before performing major surgeries. Titration is also used to measure glucose levels in the blood for those with diabetes.
The medical field is not the only area where Titration is commonly used. The food industry uses Titration to determine saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids. Specific techniques can also be used to determine the chain length of those fatty acids. Also, Titration helps to determine the concentration of salt, sugar, and various vitamins in the foods and drinks we consume. Titration can also be used to determine if wines or cheeses are ready for consumption.
The automotive industry is always trying to find more ways to become more productive. The production of biodiesel fuel is another area where Titration is very commonly used. By measuring the pH of the biodiesel, you can easily determine how much base is needed to bring the solution to the correct pH. Since the concentration of the base, the concentration of the fuel, and the volume of fuel is known, you can use the above formula to determine the volume of base needed to create the optimal fuel.
Another common use of Titration is testing aquarium water. Fresh water fish can only survive under the right conditions. If the pH of the water or the concentration of ammonium, nitrates or nitrites is thrown off, the fish will die. By using Titration, you can determine if the concentrations of these compounds is correct or change them if necessary.
