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Acid-base titration

Definition

An acid-base titration is a technique used to determine the concentration of an unknown acid or base by reacting it with a known volume and concentration of another acid or base. The reaction between the two solutions allows for the determination of the equivalence point.

Analogy

Imagine you have a pitcher of lemonade (unknown concentration) and you want to know how much sugar is in it. You pour a known amount of sugar water into the pitcher and taste it until you can no longer detect any sourness. The point where sweetness overpowers sourness represents the equivalence point, helping you determine the sugar content in your lemonade.

Related terms

Indicator: A substance that changes color when the pH of a solution reaches a certain value, helping to identify the endpoint or equivalence point in an acid-base titration.

Endpoint: The point at which an indicator changes color during an acid-base titration, indicating that stoichiometrically equivalent amounts of acid and base have reacted.

Titration curve: A graph showing how pH changes as one solution is added to another during an acid-base titration. It helps identify important points like the equivalence point and buffer regions.