Fundamentals of Science: Titration and the Periodic Table

This assignment delves into the principles of chemical titration and its significance in various industrial applications. It examines how standard solutions are prepared in an industrial setting and discusses advanced titration methods like coulometric titration used for water contamination control. Furthermore, it connects titration concepts to the organization and properties of elements within the periodic table.

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Task 3 [M1]
From the neutralization titration carried out in tasks two and three, it is apparent that titrations
depend on the chemical reaction between a standard solution and an unknown reagent. For
instance, sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid. The measuring instruments and the indicator
mark the chemical equivalence point. Once the specified color appears, then the titration is said
to have reached the endpoint. In the experiments, precise methods were used. However, the
pipette and burette used were less accurate. The burette needed to be refilled since it has limited
amount rating (Agilent Technologies, 2017).
Therefore, experimental errors could arise. First, parallax error while reading the final volume of
the burette after titration. Secondly, inability to read the instantaneous point when the color
changes. However, such errors were easily mitigated by carrying out readings at the eyes level as
well as a test titration and subsequent triplicate titrations. Thus, the key features of the periodic
table deduced from the conclusions made from the experiments are explained below.
“The periodic table consists of vertical columns called groups and horizontal rows called periods.
It is evident that elements are arranged left to right in increasing order of atomic numbers.” As
such, the periodic table consists of 7 periods and 18 groups. The elements are placed on their
respective periods depending on their number of shells in their atoms (Annets, Foale and Hartley,
2010). Also, elements that belong to the “same group have similar chemical and physical (solid,
liquid or gaseous) properties” (Coyne, 2006). Due to this, elements of different groups react to
form a compound. For example, Sodium carbonate Na2CO3(s) is a compound formed by
Sodium, carbon, and Oxygen. Sodium a metal in period 3 group 1 and atomic number 11 of the
periodic table. On the other hand, Oxygen is a non-metal in period 2 and group 6 and atomic

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number 8. Also, Carbon is a non-metal in period 2 group 4. As a result, the RMM of sodium
carbonate is 106g, and its concentration calculated from the same concept.
Task 4 [D1]
Standard Solutions and Titrations in Industry
Titration refers to a chemistry laboratory method employed to measure the concentration of a
chemical accurately. Once the titration a chemical balance between the titrant and the substance
of unknown molarity is reached, the titration endpoint is reached. Titration is essential in science
since it helps in determining the purity of substances and finding unknown chemicals. Mainly,
purity measurement is imperative in quality control for the manufacture of cosmetics, food, and
drugs in industries (Dean, 2009).
On the other hand, a “standard solution is a solution whose molarity is known and is usually
measured in Moles/ Litre.” Then, the standard solution is used to determine the concentration of
a solution. While making the standard substance, it is imperative to measure the accurate mass of
the solution. Moreover, it is required that all the solution be transferred to a volumetric flask so
that accuracy is maintained.
Standard solutions are used in industries. Manufacturers carry out rigorous tests before using
them in quality assurance as to ascertain their accuracy (Johnstone, 2012). In industries, titrations
could be carried out without the presence of the laboratory staff. However, other processes such
as the manual addition of the titrant and the indicator could be similar to the ones carried out in
institutions’ laboratories (Pearson, 2017).
The main difference between industrial and school laboratory preparation of standard solutions is
the process and equipment used. Notably, in the industry, it can be prepared without supervision

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where machines are set to read quickly and accurately record the results in the endpoint. Unlike
school which uses class B volumetric flasks, pipettes and burettes, industries employ class A
glassware which is much more expensive but more accurate. Industrial equipment like the
automatic titrator can take the samples weight, carry-out titration and record the results in a
computer database (Breitung & Paris, 2017). Subsequently, the computer can remove any errors.
For example, coulometric titration is often carried out in industries to curb water contamination
since it can cause severe harm to equipment which can halt the production process. In this case, a
more accurate Karl Fischer coulometric titrator is used. It can trace low levels of dissolved and
emulsified water (Hutchings, Osborne and Johnston, 2000).
Coulometric titration is carried out by placing a sample of water in a sealed rotary tray. After
that, the samples are then transferred to an oven to control the temperature. Then the water vapor
is moved into a volumetric flask to determine the contents of the water sample (Coyne, 2006).
Controlling temperature helps in ensuring that only water evaporates leaving the other samples in
the volumetric flask. Once this is done, the samples are weighed.
Also, in industries, calculations involving titration are fed into a spreadsheet, automatically
returning the results. Additionally, the pipette system is automated.

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References
Coyne, G. (2006). The laboratory companion. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience, pp.22-9.
ANNETS, F., FOALE, S. and HARTLEY, J. (2010). BTEC national applied science level 3.
Pearson Education Limited.
Dean, J. (2009). Practical skills in chemistry. Harlow: Prentice Hall.
Hutchings, K., Osborne, C. and Johnston, J. (2000). Classic chemistry experiments. London:
Royal Society of Chemistry, pp.234-300.
Agilent Technologies (2017). Agilent | Method & Application Consulting. [online] Agilent.com.
Available at: https://www.agilent.com/en-us/promotions/method.htm [Accessed 4 Nov. 2017]
Johnstone, H. (2012). How are standard solutions prepared in industry, and how are titrations
performed in industry? • r/chemhelp. [online] reddit. Available at:
https://www.reddit.com/r/chemhelp/comments/2onvh2/how_are_standard_solutions_prepared_in
_industry/[Accessed 4 Nov. 2017].
Pearson, N. (2017). BTEC Nationals | Applied Science (2016) | Pearson qualifications. [online]
Qualifications.pearson.com. Available at:
http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/applied-science-2016.html
[Accessed 4 Nov. 2017].
Breitung, E. and Paris, A. (2017). Physical Chemistry - American Chemical Society. [online]
American Chemical Society. Available at: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/college-to-
career/areas-of-chemistry/physical-chemistry.html [Accessed 4 Nov. 2017].
Jarson, M. (2014). Practical skills in chemistry and related experiments. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

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Johnstone, H. (2012). How are standard solutions prepared in industry, and how are titrations
performed in industry? • r/chemhelp. [online] reddit. Available at:
https://www.reddit.com/r/chemhelp/comments/2onvh2/how_are_standard_solutions_prepared_in
_industry/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2017].