12-24-2025, 02:58 AM
I'm teaching introductory college chemistry this semester, and I'm designing a new lab on acid-base titration to give students a better grasp of stoichiometry and equivalence points. The classic strong acid-strong base titration with phenolphthalein feels too simplistic and doesn't challenge them. I want to incorporate a weak acid, like acetic acid, titrated with sodium hydroxide, and have them use both an indicator and a pH probe to compare the results graphically. For educators who have run this type of lab, what concentration ranges and volumes worked best for a three-hour session? How did you structure the pre-lab and data analysis to help students truly understand the buffer region and the significance of the pKa, rather than just mechanically following steps? I'm also looking for effective ways to discuss potential sources of error beyond the usual parallax readings.