Chrominfo: What are precautions taken during titration?

Titration is a classic method of quantifying the amount of an unknown solution; however, it is a sensitive technique, just like any other technique, and it comes with certain precautions that must be followed to obtain accurate titration results.

Titration is the most common quantitative and volumetric laboratory technique for determining the unknown concentration of an analyte by comparing it to the known concentration of a solution in the presence of an indicator. There are 4 types of titration, such as acid-base titration, redox titration, precipitation titration, and complexometric titration. Each reaction has its some own precautions, but we'll try to cover some of the most common ones here.

Common precautions are taken during titration:

Here are some general precautions that do we have to take in different types of titration are mentioned below.

Wear protective clothing such as goggles, gloves, and a lab coat (Apron), as well as follow laboratory safety guidelines.
Always wash the glasswares such as conical flask, burette, pipette, volumetric flask with distilled water and completely dry it before use.
Always rinse the burette thoroughly with the solution (titrant) that will be used in it.
To secure your burette to the stand, always use a sliding double burette clamp (vertically). For an accurate reading, it is simple to go under the burette and raise or lower it to eye level.
Make sure the stopcock is closed. Always place a container beneath the burette when filling it, such as a small beaker.
Do always use a small funnel to fill the solution in the burette.
Before titrating the solution, remove any air gaps from the burette. Make sure the burette's nozzle is also filled.
Ensure there is no leakage from the burette during the titration.
Remove the air bubbles by tapping the side of the burette when the stopcock is open. It's best to do this over a sink.
Before adjusting the reading to zero, remember to remove the funnel from the burette and check that no drop is hanging from the nozzle.
For all transparent solutions, read lower meniscus and for colored solutions, read upper meniscus.
Always place a piece of white paper or white tile at the bottom of the conical flask to make it easier to see the color change at the endpoint.
Don't forget to add the indicator, adding less or more indicators can cause the readings to change.
The solution's concentration (strength) must be calculated to the fourth decimal place.
Dropwise addition of the titrant is recommended, if the endpoint/equivalence is unknown, which is ensures the reaction occurs properly.
During the addition of the solution from the burette, the titration flask should be continuously shaken.
To get accurate results, repeat the titration three times take their mean, and calculate the results.
Make that the titrant level in the burette does not drop below 0 ml. Following each trial, make a refill.
Before each titration, do not waste time bringing the burette reading to zero.
Don't discard the hazardous chemical waste in the sink, always use a glass container for safe disposal.
Many titration solutions and reactions (E.g. Adsorption method) must be protected from light, and you should be aware of this before proceeding.
Make sure that use an amber-colored volumetric flask for preparation and storage of solution.
Use a balance to accurately weigh the sample or any solid, and then stir or grind them into pieces with a mortar and pestle to dissolve them properly.
The amounts of solid and liquid should be precisely weighed and pipetted. This is because all the calculations and results are depending on this.
Always use distilled water for the preparation of solutions, which is a must for sodium hydroxide and silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution.
Pipette out the sample or solution using a pipette and bulb.
While pipetting the solution, use your index finger.
Don’t suck solutions or strong acid or base (E.g. HCL, H2SO4, NaOH, etc.) with a pipette.
Do use your index finger while pipetting the solution.
Always add acid to water, not water to acid, the same applies for the basic reagents.
If acid/ chemical splashes on your skin or in your eyes wash it off with water for 15 to 20 minutes.