A titration was performed to determine the concentration of an ethanolic acid, C2H4O2, solution using the following procedure:
1 - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 4
A titration was performed to determine the concentration of an ethanolic acid, C2H4O2, solution using the following procedure:
1. 25.00 mL of the C2H4O2 solution wa... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A titration was performed to determine the concentration of an ethanolic acid, C2H4O2, solution using the following procedure:
1 - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. burette tap leaked during one of the titrations.
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If the burette tap leaked, it would lead to inaccurate volumes of NaOH being delivered, directly impacting the titration results. This is a systematic error as it consistently affects the volume delivered, leading to biased conclusions about the concentration of the ethanolic acid.
Step 2
B. burette readings were recorded to the nearest 0.1 mL.
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Recording burette readings to the nearest 0.1 mL may introduce a degree of imprecision, but it typically does not represent a systematic error. Instead, it may result in random errors that do not consistently bias the data.
Step 3
C. number of drops of indicator was not consistent for each titration.
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Inconsistent drops of indicator could affect the visibility of the endpoint of the titration, but this is more of a procedural or random error rather than a systematic error. Each titration may show variation in the endpoint, but it wouldn't consistently skew the concentration result.
Step 4
D. actual concentration of the standard NaOH solution was lower than the stated concentration.
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This is indeed a systematic error because if the actual concentration is lower, every titration would indicate a higher amount of acid than is present. All titrations would be uniformly affected, leading to persistently erroneous conclusions about the concentration of the acid.