In The Lab: How to do a titration – properly.

Use a funnel to carefully fill the burette with the known concentration sodium hydroxide solution up to the zero line at the top. Always remove the funnel after filling to prevent drops from affecting readings.

Run sodium hydroxide down to eliminate air in the tip, then remove any remaining air bubbles by laying the burette nearly flat and slowly opening the tap. Refill the burette to just above the zero line.

Carefully adjust the meniscus to exactly zero mL by running out excess solution. Wipe the burette tip to remove any sodium hydroxide residue, then position the Erlenmeyer flask containing 20 mL of hydrochloric acid underneath with the burette tip below the flask opening.

Add exactly 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the hydrochloric acid in the flask. Begin adding sodium hydroxide from the burette while continuously swirling the flask, starting at a faster rate.

As pink color begins to appear in the solution, slow down the addition rate to a dropwise pace. Watch carefully for a persistent pale pink color that indicates approaching the endpoint.

Record the burette reading when a very pale pink color persists throughout the solution after swirling—this marks the endpoint. Add one or two more drops to confirm the color intensifies, verifying you have reached the true endpoint.

Read the final burette volume to 0.05 mL precision (e.g., 19.95 mL) and record this value with two decimal places. This volume represents the amount of sodium hydroxide required to reach the endpoint and should be verified by repeating the titration for reproducibility.