How do you standardise a solution for titration?

To standardise a solution for titration, you accurately determine its concentration using a substance of known concentration.

Standardising a solution for titration involves a process known as titration itself. This is a laboratory method of quantitative chemical analysis to determine the concentration of an identified analyte (a substance to be analysed). The solution of known concentration is called the standard solution. The solution whose concentration you want to determine is called the analyte.

Firstly, you need to prepare a standard solution. This is usually a strong acid or base, as they fully dissociate in water, making the concentration easier to determine. The standard solution is prepared by accurately weighing a pure sample of a solid acid or base, dissolving it in a known volume of distilled water, and then making up the solution to a known volume in a volumetric flask.

Next, you need to perform the titration. This involves adding the standard solution from a burette into a known volume of the analyte, which is in a conical flask. The addition is stopped when the reaction between the two solutions is complete. This is usually indicated by a colour change from an indicator, a substance that changes colour at the end point of the reaction.

The volume of standard solution required to react completely with the analyte is noted. Using this volume, along with the known concentration of the standard solution and the volume of the analyte, you can calculate the concentration of the analyte using the formula:

Concentration of analyte = (Concentration of standard solution x Volume of standard solution) / Volume of analyte

This process may need to be repeated several times to ensure accuracy. The average of the results is then taken to give the most accurate concentration of the analyte. This is how you standardise a solution for titration.