The Titration of Vinegar
IB Chemistry SL
Thomas Jefferson High School
Instructor: Mahfuza Sobitova
By: Grace Scuderi
, 1. Introduction
a. Context
Ever since I can remember, my parents would always make a special treat
whenever my birthday rolled around. It was somewhat unique, quirky, and
appropriately nicknamed “the wacky cake”. What made the cake so “wacky” was
the secret ingredient, vinegar. Of course, the vinegar was noticeable and the flavor
was delicious, but not as pungent as some might assume. The cake would not
always rise completely, and tend to fall after it had cooled. Within the wacky cake
there was flour, vanilla, vinegar obviously, sugar, and baking soda. Baking soda
or sodium bicarbonate counteracted the effects of vinegar in the cake and to a
certain degree neutralized the vinegar. To have a neutralization reaction means to
have the correct ratio between a weak acid and a strong base, yet the proportions
of the vinegar and baking soda always seemed imprecise within the cake. Perhaps
too much or too little vinegar was mixed into the special treat. I would need to
calculate the molarity of the vinegar used in the cake to then assess the proper
ratio of vinegar to baking soda in order to achieve the perfect ratios for the cake.
b. Research Question
The purpose of my investigation is to determine the concentration of vinegar
using a strong base of sodium hydroxide through the method of titration.
Similarly, I would like to compare the concentration of the vinegar solution
obtained in the experiment to the known concentration of the original solution of
the distilled white vinegar to identify errors.
c. Thesis
To perform this investigation, I plan to use the titration method to calculate the
titration of an unknown concentration of acetic acid in vinegar. I will calculate the
molarity of the acetic acid of three 10 mL vinegar solutions, then find the average
molarity of the three flasks of the acetic acid samples to reckon the concentration
of acetic acid. In addition to determining the concentration, I will compare the
concentration to the label of the vinegar bottle which contains 5% acetic acid
(figure 1) to deduce the margin of error in the experiment. With these values, I
will use them to design improvements for future experiments in relation to the
titration of vinegar.
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IB Chemistry SL
Thomas Jefferson High School
Instructor: Mahfuza Sobitova
By: Grace Scuderi
, 1. Introduction
a. Context
Ever since I can remember, my parents would always make a special treat
whenever my birthday rolled around. It was somewhat unique, quirky, and
appropriately nicknamed “the wacky cake”. What made the cake so “wacky” was
the secret ingredient, vinegar. Of course, the vinegar was noticeable and the flavor
was delicious, but not as pungent as some might assume. The cake would not
always rise completely, and tend to fall after it had cooled. Within the wacky cake
there was flour, vanilla, vinegar obviously, sugar, and baking soda. Baking soda
or sodium bicarbonate counteracted the effects of vinegar in the cake and to a
certain degree neutralized the vinegar. To have a neutralization reaction means to
have the correct ratio between a weak acid and a strong base, yet the proportions
of the vinegar and baking soda always seemed imprecise within the cake. Perhaps
too much or too little vinegar was mixed into the special treat. I would need to
calculate the molarity of the vinegar used in the cake to then assess the proper
ratio of vinegar to baking soda in order to achieve the perfect ratios for the cake.
b. Research Question
The purpose of my investigation is to determine the concentration of vinegar
using a strong base of sodium hydroxide through the method of titration.
Similarly, I would like to compare the concentration of the vinegar solution
obtained in the experiment to the known concentration of the original solution of
the distilled white vinegar to identify errors.
c. Thesis
To perform this investigation, I plan to use the titration method to calculate the
titration of an unknown concentration of acetic acid in vinegar. I will calculate the
molarity of the acetic acid of three 10 mL vinegar solutions, then find the average
molarity of the three flasks of the acetic acid samples to reckon the concentration
of acetic acid. In addition to determining the concentration, I will compare the
concentration to the label of the vinegar bottle which contains 5% acetic acid
(figure 1) to deduce the margin of error in the experiment. With these values, I
will use them to design improvements for future experiments in relation to the
titration of vinegar.
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