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Name: Ho
Status: other
Grade: other
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: September 2006
Question:
Why is the base always placed in the burette in the acid-base titration?


Replies:
That is not always the case, I don't think. There is no fundamental reason why an acid base titration cannot be done either way.

Vince Calder

It is not. You can put the acid in, and titrate the base too.

Steve Ross

Ho,

I think you may be confusing an acid-base titration in which the indicator is phenolphthalein. Since this indicator changes from colorless (in acidic solutions) to pink (in basic solutions) and it is easier to see a transition from colorless to pink rather than to be looking for a loss of color, this particular indicator is best used when titrating an acid with a base. However, apart from what was just described, there is really no reason to have the base in the buret all the time.

Greg (Roberto Gregorius)


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