A titration is a laboratory technique used to find out the exact amount of one substance needed to react completely with another substance. The purpose of this lab was to use titrations to determine the exact amount of NaOH needed to neutralize HCl. The endpoint of a titration is a point in neutralization when we have fully neutralized the HCl, and we can keep tract of this point using the burette that contains the NaOH. To determine whether the endpoint has been reached or not, we can tell by the colour of the substance. The phenolphthalein in the solution helps us in this procedure, as whenever NaOH is added to the HCl, it turns pink in the solution as bases turn pink in phenolphthalein and acids stay colourless. It changes from transparent to faint pink when the base neutralizes the acid. The light pink color stays for about 30 seconds which shows that the endpoint has been reached.
Core Competency Self-Assesment
Communication
While working with my partners during the titration lab, I used communication to help us stay organized and work efficiently. We discussed each step before doing it to make sure everyone understood the procedure. We also made sure that we were all contributing to the lab. I communicated clearly when reading measurements from the burette and when watching for the color change, so we could stop at the right moment and not end up with a solution that was too pink. We also gave each other reminders to be careful and double-check our results. By working together and sharing ideas, we were able to complete the experiment successfully.
