Hypothesis: Homemade lime juice worsens the symptoms of acid reflux more when compared to

orange and grapefruit juice.

Aim: To determine the concentration of acid in lime, orange and grapefruit juice by using acid-base
titration.
Apparatus: 50ml burette, 25ml pipette, pipette filler, 3 250ml beakers, fine strainer, 2 small funnels, 3
250ml conical flasks, retort stand, white tile.
Materials: Lime juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, 0.5M NaOH, phenolphthalein indicator.
Variables:
Manipulated variable- Type of Juice (Grapefruit Juice, Lime Juice, Orange Juice)
Controlled variables- Number of drops of phenolphthalein, concentration of NaOH (0.5M), same
volume of juice pipetted (25ml).
Responding variable- Volume of NaOH used.
Method:
1) Using a strainer and beakers, strain the lime, orange and grapefruit juices (manipulated) into three
separate 250ml beakers. (wash and rinse strainer after each use)
2) Using a pipette filler and pipette, place 25cm3 of the strained juices (grapefruit, lime and orange
juice) into three separate 250ml conical flasks.
3) Add three drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the Lime juice in the conical flask.
4) Place the burette in the retort stand such that it is perpendicular to the table.
5) Using a funnel, fill the burette up with 50cm3 of NaOH and ensure no air bubbles are in the burette.
6) Titrate the NaOH against the lime juice over the white tile until there is a color change noticed.
7) Record the volume of NaOH used in the burette by reading from the bottom of the meniscus using
an appropriate line of sight (Responding).
8) Repeat steps 3 to 7 using the grapefruit juice and orange juice.
Expected Results: A greater volume of NaOH would be expected to be used on the lime juice when
compared to the orange juice and grapefruit juice, which indicates more acidity and therefore greater
chance of symptoms of acid reflux. The orange and grapefruit juice would be expected to require a
smaller volume of NaOH in order to be neutralized which indicates a lower amount of acid and
therefore lower chances of acid reflux.
Treatment of results: Calculate the concentrations of the acid using volumes of NaOH used and the
known concentration of the NaOH.
Titration table showing results for titration with lime juice:

Titration 1 Titration 2
Initial burette reading/ cm3
Final burette reading/ cm3
Volume of NaOH used/ cm3

This table is repeated for the grapefruit juice and orange juice.
Precautions:
1) Take burette readings at an appropriate line of sight.
2) Use a white tile when titrating to help see colour change.
Limitations:
1) The colour of the juice would make it difficult to see the colour change.
Assumptions:
1) The NaOH reacts with only one type of acid in the juices and nothing else in the juices.
Results:
Titration table showing results for titration with lime juice:

Titration 1 Titration 2
Initial burette reading/ cm3 100.0 100.0
Final burette reading/ cm3 44.2 44.1
Volume of NaOH used/ cm3 55.8 55.9

Titration table showing results for titration with orange juice:

Titration 1 Titration 2
Initial burette reading/ cm3 50.0 50.0
Final burette reading/ cm3 43.2 43.3
Volume of NaOH used/ cm3 6.8 6.7

Titration table showing results for titration with grapefruit juice:

Titration 1 Titration 2
Initial burette reading/ cm3 50.0 50.0
Final burette reading/ cm3 40.2 40.2
Volume of NaOH used/ cm3 9.8 9.8

Discussion:
In the lab, the citrus juices (grapefruit, lime and orange juice) which contain citric acid was reacted
with sodium hydroxide to form salt and water in the neutralization reaction as follows:
H3C6H5O7(aq) + 3NaOH(aq) → Na3C6H5O7(aq) + 3H2O(aq)
For Lime Juice:
As the concentration of NaOH used was 0.5 Mdm3 and the volume of NaOH used was 55.8 cm3, the
number of moles of NaOH used was:
55.8 cm3 of NaOH contains 2.79x10-2 moles (Lime)

6.8 cm3 of NaOH contains 3.4x10-3 moles (Orange)

9.8 cm3 of NaOH contains 4.9x10-3 moles (Grapefruit)
3 moles of NaOH reacts with 1 mole of citric acid
1 mole of NaOH reacts with 1/3 mole of citric acid
3.4x10-3 moles of NaOH reacts with 1.13x10-3 moles of citric acid (Orange)
4.9x10-3moles of NaOH reacts with 1.63x10-3 moles of citric acid (Grapefruit)
2.79x10-2 moles of NaOH reacts with 9.3x10-3 moles of citric acid (Lime)
25 cm3 of citric acid contained 1.13x10-3 moles (Orange)
1000 cm3 of citric acid contained 4.52x10-2 moles (Orange)
25 cm3 of citric acid contained 1.63x10-3 moles (Grapefruit)
1000 cm3 of citric acid contained 6.52x10-2 moles (Grapefruit)
25 cm3 of citric acid contained 9.3x10-3 moles (Lime)
1000 cm3 of citric acid contained 3.72x10-1 moles (Lime)
A titration is a procedure for determining the concentration of a solution by allowing a carefully
measured volume of the substance being analyzed (the analyte) to react with another solution (the
titrant), whose concentration is known. The NaOH with a known concentration was used to calculate
the concentration of the citric acid. The largest volume of NaOH was used on the lime juice, which
indicated that more base was required to neutralize a greater amount of acid, which would in turn
meant that the higher concentration of citric acid (3.72x10-1 Mdm-3) would greater influence
symptoms of acid reflux when compared to orange juice and grapefruit juice which are of lesser
acidity. The smaller concentration of citric acid in the orange (4.52x10-2 Mdm-3) and grapefruit
(6.52x10-2 Mdm-3) juice meant that the number of moles of NaOH required to neutralize it would be
less and therefore, the acidity of orange and grapefruit juice would less likely cause the symptoms of
acid reflux. This is why Granny felt the effects of acid reflux when she drank the lime juice but not
when she drank the orange and grapefruit juice since their concentrations were too low to bring
about the effects of acid reflux.
Limitation: 1) The colour of the juices made it difficult to accurately notice a colour change.
Source of Error: 1) Each drop of phenolphthalein indicator may not have been of the same volume.
Reflection: Acid-base titration is used in laboratory medicine to determine unknown concentrations
of chemicals of interest in blood and used by pharmacists to develop new pharmaceuticals. From this
experiment, I have learned to dilute my lime juice before consumption in order to lessen or reduce
the chances of getting acid reflux. This experiment can be improved by further diluting the juices with
water so that colour changes would be more prominently visible.
Conclusion: The concentration of citric acid in the lime was found to be 3.72x10-1 Mdm-3, the
concentration of citric acid in the orange juice was found to be 4.52x10-2 Mdm-3 and the
concentration of citric acid in the grapefruit juice was found to be 6.52x10-2 Mdm-3.