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7th January 2024

Produced by :
-Nada JALAL MANSOUR.
-Nicole NIYONSABA.
-Hiba SAIDI.
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Table of contents :

➢ Introduction
➢ Preparation of NaOH solution.
➢ Colorimetric Titration of the Aspirin:
1. Schema of the acid-base titration.
2. Balanced equation for the reaction between
acetylsalicylic and NaOH.
3. Average volume (of added NaOH) and Concentrations
of aspirin in the solution, as well as the mass of
aspirin contained in the tablet.
➢ pH-metric Titration of the Aspirin Sample:
1. Schema of the acid-base pH-metric titration
2. Graph of the pH evolution as a function of the volume of
the titrating solution.
3. Equivalence point, titrant’s volume, and discussion of pH
changes occurring before reaching the equivalence
point.
4. Concentration of aspirin in the solution.
5. Mass of Aspirin contained in the tablet, and comparison
with colorimetric titration results.
6. Discussion : comparison and comments.
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Introduction :

Aspirin, also known by its chemical name acetylsalicylic acid, is a common over-the-counter
medication widely used as an analgesic (pain reliever), anti-inflammatory agent, and antipyretic
(fever reducer). It belongs to the class of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) and is often used to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and lower fever.

One way to analyze the purity of aspirin or determine its concentration in a sample is
through titration. Titration is a laboratory technique where a known reagent (titrant) is slowly
added to a solution containing the analyte until the reaction is complete. The point at which the
reaction is stoichiometrically balanced is called the equivalence point.

This laboratory practical course aims to experimentally determine the amount of acetylsalicylic
acid in commercially available aspirin tablets through, first colorimetric acid-base titration, then
pH-metric titration.

Preparation of NaOH solution :

Prepare 1 L of a 0.5 M sodium hydroxide solution by dissolving the appropriate amount of solid NaOH
(caustic soda) in water. The volume V1 of this solution needed to prepare 200 mL of 0.01 M of NaOH is
calculated as follows:

The formula for dilution is expressed as follows: C1V1=C2V2.

Where: C1 , V1 are the concentration and volume of NaOH before the dilution, and C2 ,V2 are the
concentration and volume of NaOH after the dilution.

Thus, V1 = C2V2 / C1 =0.01 M × 200 mL /0.5 M = 4 mL

Colorimetric Titration of Aspirin :

We conducted two precise colorimetric titrations for accuracy. The final burette reading in both
experiments is given in data table 1 :

Test 1 Test 2 Average Volume

V(NaOH) (mL) 10 9,8 9,9
Table 1 : Volumetric titration of Aspirin tablet
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1) Schema of colorimetric acid-base titration :

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2) Balanced equation for the reaction between acetylsalicylic

acid and NaOH :

C8H7O2COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) → C8H7O2COONa(aq) + H2O(l)

3) Average volume (of added NaOH) and Concentrations of

aspirin in the solution, as well as the mass of aspirin contained
in the tablet:

o The average volume Vb is given in table 1, with Vb=9.9 mL

o At the equivalence point : na=nb ,

With na, nb, the amount of substance of the acid and the base respectively.
CaVa=CbVb Ca= CbVb / Va
Thus, Ca= 0.01 M × 9.9 mL/ 20 mL
Finally, Ca=0.00495 M
The initial volume of the aspirin solution is V0 =100 Ml
The amount of substance of aspirin can be calculated as follows :
n= Ca V0= m1 /M , with M, molecular mass of aspirin M = 180.16g/mol
m1 =M Ca V0
m1 = 180.16g/mol × 0.00495 M × 0.1 = 0.09 g
Finally, the mass of aspirin contained in the tablet is : m1 =0.09 g ~ 100mg

Ph-metric Titration of Aspirin :

We performed 2 precise pH-metric tests. The results are shown in the table below :

V(NaOH) (mL) pH1 pH2 Average pH

0 3.14 3.12 3.13
2 3.33 3.31 3.32
4 3.56 3.54 3.55
6 3.84 3.84 3.84
8 4.3 4.38 4.34
9 4.92 5.17 4.045
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10 7.16 9.58 8.37

11 9.95 10.11 10.03
12 10.28 10.36 10.32
13 10.48 10.52 10.5
14 10.61 10.62 10.615
15 10.69 10.71 10.70
16 10.77 10.78 10.775
17 10.83 10.83 10.83
18 10.88 10.88 10.88
20 10.96 10.96 10.96
Table 2: pH-metric titration of Aspirin table

1) Schema of pH-metric acid-base titration :

Schema of pH-metric titration

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2) Graph of the pH evolution as a function of the volume of the

titrating solution :

Graph of the pH evolution as a function of the volume of the titrating solution

3) Titrant’s volume V(eq) and pH changes :

To graphically determine the value of the volume added at equivalence, We use the parallel
tangents method.
Graphically, we find: V(eq) = 9,4 mL
pH changes :
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• Initially, the weak acid (acetylsalicylic acid) dominates, and the pH is determined by
the dissociation of the weak acid. As the strong base is added (NaOH), it reacts with
the weak acid, resulting in an increase in pH.
• Before the equivalence point, the pH change is gradual, and it becomes steeper as
the equivalence point is approached. Beyond the equivalence point, the excess
strong base causes a rapid increase in pH.

4) Concentration of Aspirin :

With the same reasoning used in question 3 in the colorimetric titration part, we obtain the following
formula : Ca= CbV(eq) / Va= 0.01 M × 9.4 mL/20mL

Finally, we find Ca=0.0047 M

5) Mass of Aspirin contained in the tablet :

The amount of substance of aspirin can be calculated as follows :
n= Ca V0= m2 /M , with M, molecular mass of aspirin M = 180.16g/mol
m2 =M Ca V0
m2 = 180.16g/mol × 0.0047 M × 0.1 = 0.0846 g
The mass of Aspirin contained in the tablet is : m=0.0846 g
The values m1=0.09g and m2=0.0846g are in close proximity.

The difference between the two values is likely due to experimental uncertainties, inherent
variations in measurement, or the precision limitations of the measuring instruments used.
Factors such as experimental conditions, equipment calibration, and human error could
contribute to the slight discrepancy observed between the two measured masses.

6) Discussion :
Given that the labeled mass of aspirin in a tablet is 100 mg, and the experimental result yields
a mass of 84.6 mg, there is a small discrepancy between the expected and measured values.
This difference could be attributed to various factors, including variations in tablet
manufacturing , the precision limitations of the measuring experiments, or human error.
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