titrations

[ri]

Hi all in labland,
can anyone enlighten me??
Does the unknown solution go in the burette or the flask when titrating?
Cheers,
Robyn

[lada]

i do not think it matters. As long as you know the concentration of your standard and the amount, and the exact amount of unknown, you can work out the concentration of unknown.. Our teacher usually tells the students, which solution should go into a flask, so I only have to do that titration, but it never works out that way. Students always do the opposite. So to get the exact titration I do it both ways.
Anyway, i don't think there is a fast rule.
Lada

[Ian]

I think it depends more on what indicator you are using. Phenolphthalein for instance, is clear in acid and goes pink in base, so you would put the acid/phenolphthalein mix in the beaker and the base in the beurette, irrespective of whether the acid or the base is the known concentration. It is easier to see a clear solution go pink than a pink solution go clear . Try to get the indicator in the bottom beaker as a clear or light coloured solution so that it will change to something dark as the other solution is added.

cheers
Ian