What is the importance of repeat titrations?

Repeat titrations are important to ensure accuracy and reliability of results by identifying and eliminating anomalous results.

Titration is a common laboratory method used to analyse the concentration of an unknown solution. It involves the gradual addition of a solution with a known concentration (the titrant) to a solution with an unknown concentration (the analyte) until the reaction between the two is complete. This point is known as the end point. The volume of titrant required to reach the end point is used to calculate the concentration of the analyte.

However, errors can occur during titration, such as misreading the burette, overshooting the end point, or not mixing the solutions thoroughly. These errors can lead to inaccurate results. To minimise these errors and ensure the accuracy of the results, it is important to perform repeat titrations. By repeating the experiment, you can identify any anomalous results that deviate significantly from the others. These can then be disregarded in the calculation of the average titre value, improving the reliability of the results.

Moreover, repeat titrations can help to confirm the precision of the results. Precision refers to how close the results are to each other. If the results from the repeat titrations are very close to each other, it indicates that the method used is precise. If the results vary widely, it suggests that there may be inconsistencies in the method, which need to be addressed to improve the precision.

In conclusion, repeat titrations play a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy, reliability and precision of titration results. They help to identify and eliminate errors, and provide a more accurate and reliable measure of the concentration of the unknown solution.