How Does Acetic Acid Effected By Vinegars Temperature

Introduction:

In this experiment vinegar is the household product being tested. This experiment is being used to see whether or not the acidity of vinegar is effected by vinegars temperature (fridge temperature, room temperature or heated). This will be done using titration methods (slow addition of one solution of a known concentration (called a titrant) to a known volume of another solution of unknown concentration until the reaction reaches neutralization, which is often indicated by a colour change) with Vinegar as the acid, Phenolphthalein as the indicator and Sodium Hydroxide as the base.

Acids and Bases can be defined by three different definitions, the Arrhenius definition, Brønsted-Lowry definition and Lewis definition. The Arrhenius

Its chemical formula is CH3COOH. Acetic acid is known as a weak acid. A weak acid is an acid that dissociates incompletely, releasing only some of its hydrogen atoms into the solution. Thus, it is less capable than a strong acid of donating protons. These acids have higher pKa than strong acids, which release all of their hydrogen atoms when dissolved in water (Clark, 2013). Acetic acid is produced by the oxidation of alcohol (ethanol) from wines and ciders by bacteria. Vinegar has a slight but pleasant sour taste and is mainly used in cooking or as a condiment (Donnelly, 2008). Acetic acid is a weak acid as stated. This can be seen through the structure of acetic acid which can be found in Appendix 3: Acetic Acid Structure. The structure is weak as there are not strong forces of attraction which therefore makes it a weak acid. These weak forces results in the dissociation of it which is why it is a weak

One is that the base was not exactly the right Molar solution wanted but was only off by roughly 0.001.

In this experiment there were a few risks in doing it so certain measures were taken to make sure nothing happened. As the experiment was dealing with an acid, lab coats and goggles were warn. Also as there was the chance of broken glass, when using any glassware it was to be handled with care. It was also made sure that the heated vinegar was not heated so much that it produced a toxic gas and also not so hot that people couldn’t touch it. Also as phenolphthalein is a laxative, if any was to go on the fingers the person would be near a tap to wash it off.

In further experiments and research there are a few suggestions that would help. One is that the improvements that were mentioned earlier should be taken into place as that will result in more accurate results. Also, if further research was to be done about this experiment, then a larger temperature range would of resulted in a greater pH change.