How can you determine the molarity of an unknown solution through titration?

The molarity of an unknown solution can be determined through titration by comparing it with a solution of known concentration.

Titration is a common laboratory method used to determine 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 equivalence point or end point, which is often indicated by a colour change due to the presence of an indicator.

To determine the molarity of the unknown solution, you first need to know the molarity and volume of the titrant used. The molarity (M) is the number of moles of solute per litre of solution. The volume is usually measured in millilitres (ml) but for the calculation, it should be converted to litres (L).

The reaction between the titrant and the analyte is a stoichiometric one, meaning they react in a definite molar ratio which can be obtained from the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. This ratio is used to calculate the number of moles of the analyte in the reaction.

Once the number of moles of the analyte is known, the molarity of the unknown solution can be calculated by dividing the number of moles by the volume of the analyte solution in litres. This gives the molarity of the unknown solution in moles per litre (M).

In summary, titration allows you to determine the molarity of an unknown solution by reacting it with a known solution and using the stoichiometric relationship between the reactants. The key is to accurately measure the volume of the titrant used to reach the equivalence point and to know the molar ratio of the reaction.