CHEMISTRY PROJECT

ON
“DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF ACETIC ACID
IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF VINEGAR”

A chemistry project submitted to ASSAM HIGHER SECONDARY

EDUCATION COUNCIL for the partial fulfillment for the chemistry
practical final examination during 2018-19 held at Salt Brook
Academy, Dibrugarh.

Submitted by:
Name :
Class :
Roll : No :
Registration No :
Session :
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This is to sincerely acknowledge with thanks the valuable advice

offered by my guide Sir Netra Kamal Bora, I would like to extended
my heartiest gratitude to my Chemistry teachers Sir Jayanta Baruah
and Sir Bhabtosh Bhattacharjee for providing a helping hand in this
project. Their support and supervision all through this project
entitled “DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT OF ACETIC ACID IN
DIFFERENT TYPES OF VINEGAR” are responsible for attaining its
true form.

Further, I would like to thank the principal and the college

authorities for providing the facilities required to carry out the
project.

I would also like to offer my heartfull thanks to my friends and all

those unmentioned people who are directly or indirectly related
with this project.

Date :
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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that ……………………………………………………….. of class

XII bearing Roll :…………… No :…………..and Regd. No : ………………..
has successfully completed the project entitled “DETERMINATION
OF AMOUNT OF ACETIC ACID IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF VINEGR”
under my guidance for the partial fulfillment of chemistry practical
syllabus as per ASHEC.

Date : Dept. of Chemistry

Salt Brook Academy
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INDEX

TOPIC PAGE No.

1. Objective …………………………………………………….. 4
2. Introduction …………………………………………………. 5
3. Materials and Equipment ………………………………. 8
4. Theory ………………………………………………………….. 9
5. Reactions involved ………………………………………… 10
6. Experimental procedure ……………………………….. 11
7. Precautions ……………………………………………………. 13
8. Bibliography ………………………………………………….. 14
9. Experiment/Observation/Calculation …………….. 15
10. Result ………………………………………………………….. 18
11. Conclusion …………………………………………………... 19
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OBJECTIVE

The goal of this project is to determine the amount of acetic acid

in different types of vinegar using titration with a colored pH
indicator to determine the end point.
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INTRODUCTION

Vinegar is an important food preservative. It is chemically very

important. It is a solution made from fermentation of ethanol
(CH3CH2OH), which in turn was previously fermented from sugar.
The fermentation of ethanol in turn produces acetic acid
(CH3COOH). There are different types of vinegar and many brands
produce it. The amount of acetic acid use in different types of
vinegar varies. In this project we will determine the amount of
acetic acid used in different types of vinegar with the help of
titration, a common technique in chemistry. Titration is a way to
measure the unknown amount of a chemical in a solution (the
titrant) by adding a measured amount of chemical with a known
concentration (the titrating solution). The titrating solution reacts
with the titrant, and the end point of the reaction is monitored in
some way. The concentration of the titrant can now be calculated
from the amount of titrating solution added, and the ratio of the
two.

To measure the acidity of a vinegar solution, we can add enough

hydroxyl ions to balance out the added hydrogen ions from the
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acid. The hydroxyl will react with the hydrogen ions to produce
water. In order for a titration to work we need three things:
1. A titration solution (contains hydroxyl ions with a precisely
known concentration),
2. A method for delivering a precisely measured volume of the
titrating solution, and

3.A means of indicating when the end point has been reached.
For titrating the solution, we’ll use a dilute solution of sodium
hydroxide (NaOH). Sodium hydroxide is a strong base, which
means that it dissociates almost completely in water. So for every
sodium hydroxide molecule we add to the solution, we can expect
to produce a hydroxyl ion.
To dispense an accurately measured volume of titrating solution,
we will use a burette. A burette is a long tube with a valve at the
bottom and graduated markings on the outside to measure the
volume contained in the burette. The burette is mounted on a ring
stand, directly above the titrant solution.
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Solution in the burette tends to creep up the sides of the glass at

the surface of the liquid. This is due to the surface tension of water.
The surface of the liquid thus forms a curve, called meniscus. To

measure the volume of liquid in the burette the reading is always

taken from the bottom of the meniscus.
Here we will use an indicator solution called phenolphthalein is
colourless when the solution is acidic. When the solution becomes
slightly basic phenolphthalein turns pink. So when the vinegar
starts to turn pink, we know that the titration is completed.
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MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

To do this experiment we need the following materials and
equipments:
1. Vinegar of three different samples
2. Distilled water
3. Small funnel
4. 0.5% phenolphthalein solution in alcohol (pH indicator
solution)
5. 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution
6. 125 ml conical flask
7. 50 ml burette
8. Ring stand
9. Burette clamp
10. Measuring cylinder
11. Pipette
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THEORY
The required amount of sodium hydroxide can be calculated by
using the following formula:
Mass of NaOH = Molarity x Molar mass x Volume

 Mass of NaOH = 0.1 x 40 x 500

 Mass of NaOH = 2000 mg
 Mass of NaOH = 2 g
The amount of acetic acid content in vinegar may be determined
by titrating a vinegar sample with a solution of sodium hydroxide
of known molar concentration (molarity).
The working formula for determining the amount of acetic acid in
vinegar is

Normality(N1) x Volume(V1) = Normality(N2) x Volume(V2)

Now the strength of acetic acid = CH3COOH x 60 g/L

And the percentage strength = 10g/L
Indicator: Phenolphthalein
End point: Colourless to pink
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REACTIONS INVOLVED

Acid + Base Salt + Water

Acetic acid + Sodium hydroxide Sodium acetate +

Water

CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) CH3COONa (aq) +

H2O(l)
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

Preparation of the standard solution:-

1. We take about 2 gm of NaOH (sodium hydroxide) and dissolve it
in 500 ml of H2O (water). Thus, we get a 0.1M NaOH solution.
Performing the titration:-
1. We pour 1.5 ml of vinegar in a conical flask.
2. We add distilled water to dissolve the vinegar so that the
volume of the solution becomes 20 ml.
3. We add 3 drops of 0.5% phenolphthalein solution.
4. We use the burette clamp to attach the burette to the ring
stand. The opening at the bottom of the burette should be just
above the height of the conical flask we use for the vinegar and
phenolphthalein solution.
5. We use a funnel to fill the burette with a 0.1M of NaOH.
6. We note the starting level of the NaOH in the burette. We put
the vinegar solution to be titrated under the burette.
7. We slowly drip the solution of NaOH into the vinegar solution.
Swirl the flask gently to mix the solution, while keeping the
opening underneath the burette.
8. At some point we will see a pink colour in the vinegar solution
when the NaOH is added, but the colour will slowly disappear
when the solution is mixed. When this happens we slow the
burette to drop by drop addition.
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9. When the vinegar solution turns pink and remains that colour
even with the mixing, the titration is complete. We close the top of
the burette.
10. We note the remaining level of the NaOH burette. We should
remember to read from the bottom of the meniscus.
11. We subtract the initial level from the remaining level to figure
out how much titrating solution we have used.
12. For each vinegar that we test, we repeat the titration at least
three times.
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PRECAUTION

1. Transference of the measured vinegar into the measuring flask

should be done carefully.
2. Measuring should be performed carefully.
3. The meniscus of the liquid should be looked at eye level to avoid
parallax.
4. The lower meniscus should be taken in consideration in case of
light colored solution and the upper meniscus should be taken in
consideration in case of dark colored solution because of the
visibility.
5. Distilled water must be added to the vinegar.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. INTERNET-
http://www.icbse.com
2. LABORATORY MANUAL CHEMISTRY – XII
3. NCERT CHEMISTRY TEXT BOOK (Page no. 34-35)
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Experiment-1
The titration is carried out with Sing Chueng colourless vinegar

OBSERVATIONS
Sl. Burette reading Volume of Volume of Concordant
No. Initial(ml) Final(ml) vinegar(ml) NaOH(ml) reading
1 0 9.8 1.5 9.8
2 0 9.8 1.5 9.7 9.8
3 0 9.7 1.5 9.8

CALCULATION
We know that,

N1V1 = N2V2

0.1 x 9.8 =N2 x 1.5

N2 = 0.65 N/L

Strength of acetic acid = N2 x Equilibrium Mass

= 0.65 x 60
= 39 g/L
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EXPERIMENT – 2
The titration is carried out with Sing Cheung colored vinegar.

OBSERVATIONS
Sl. Burette reading Volume of Volume of Concordant
No. Initial(ml) Final(ml) vinegar(ml) NaOH(ml) reading
1 0 12.5 1.5 12.5
2 0 12.8 1.5 12.8 12.5
3 0 12.5 1.5 12.5

CALCULATIONS
We know that,

N1V1 = N2V2

 0.1 x 12.5 = N2 x 1.5

 N2 = 0.83 N/L
Strength of acetic acid = 0.83 x 60
= 49.8 g/L
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EXPERIMENT – 3
The titration is carried out with American’s Garden Apple Vinegar.

OBSERVATION
Sl. Burette reading Volume of Volume of Concordant
No. Initial(ml) Final(ml) vinegar(ml) NaOH(ml) reading
1 0 13.5 1.5 13.5
2 0 13.3 1.5 13.3 13.3
3 0 13.3 1.5 13.3

CALCULATION
We know that,

N1V1 = N2V2

 0.1X 13.3 = N2 X 1.5

 N2 = 0.88 N/L
Strength of acetic acid = 0.88 x 60
= 52.8 g/L
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RESULT
1. Strength of acetic acid in Sing Sueng colorless vinegar = 39 g/L
2. Strength of acetic acid in Sing Sueng colored vinegar = 49.8 g/L
3. Strength of acetic acid in American’s Garden apple vinegar
= 52.8 g/L
Order of amount of acetic acid in different vinegar is
Apple vinegar> Colored vinegar>colorless vinegar
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CONCLUSION
This Endeavour proved to be very educative and motivating.
Thus, we hereby can conclude that the strength of apple vinegar is
more than the strength of colored vinegar which is more than that
colorless vinegar.
Thus, the project proved to be very helpful in extending our
horizon for knowledge and love for chemistry practical.