EVALUATING THE DISSOCIATION CONSTANT OF A WEAK ACID USING MICROSCALE TECHNIQUES PURPOSE: Evaluate the dissociation constant of a weak

acid using microscale techniques and pH measurements. DISCUSSION: In this experiment the acid dissociation constant, Ka, for an unknown weak acid was evaluated using the partial neutralization method. This method for determining Ka used pH measurements made following the partial neutralization of a weak acid with hydroxide ion (OH-). To determine Ka using this method five solutions of weak acid (HAn), that contained dissociated HAn in the form of H 3O+ ion and An- ion, as well as undissociated HAn, were prepared. Then the acid solutions were partially neutralized with a standardized sodium hydroxide (0.5M NaOH). The An- ion concentration in the resulting mixture was no longer equal to the H 3O+ ion concentration. Finally distilled water was added to these mixtures in order to have a constant volume of equilibrium mixture in each well. After stirring these mixtures the pH of each was measured and recorded on the data sheet. The An- ion concentration was determined by using definition of molarity (number of moles of solute per volume of solution). Because the number of moles of An- ion present in the solution at equilibrium was equal to the number of moles of OH- ion added, the number of moles of An- ion was calculated by using the molarity of NaOH and the volume of NaOH solution added. Then the number of moles of undissociated HAn present at equilibrium was found. By using this obtained data the equilibrium concentrations of HAn and An- were calculated. The total volume of the equilibrium mixture was used for the determination of equilibrium concentrations of both An- ion and HAn. The equilibrium concentration of H 3O+ was found from the pH measurement made. Then the Ka, which reflected the ratio of the concentrations of products to the concentrations of reactants at equilibrium ( the point at which the rates of the forward and reverse reaction were equal) was evaluated. Finally the mean Ka for unknown acid was determined and unknown acid was identified. RESULTS: Based on a number of calculated acid dissociation constants the mean Ka for unknown acid was determined to be . From the calculated data it was concluded that the souse of error might have been in the determining pH measurements. Tatiana Vetman