ACID-BASE TITRATIONS: ANALYSIS OF

ANTACID TABLETS
Camille Caribala
Angelica Arlou Dazo
Zhyra Alexis Anda
De La Salle University Dasmarias
Cavite, Philippines

ABSTRACT
The experiment about acid-base titration is to learn the technique of acid-base titrations and to
compare the efficiency of commercially available antacids by looking at their wt. of HCl/wt. of antacid
values. The said experiment will be done with proper handling of reagents and materials as well as by
observing proper decorum. In the experiment, the two (2) antacid tablets were crushed in mortar and
pestle. After crushing, their actual weight was get which is 0.5389 g (antacid 1) and 0.5056 g (antacid 2)
and was transferred in two separate 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask. 50.0 mL of 0.1 M HCl was added to the
antacid and was dissolved as much as possible. 2 drops of phenolphthalein indicator was added into the
mixture and was mixed thoroughly. The antacid mixture with 0.1 M NaOH was then titrated until the
solution turns to a faint pink color. 2 trials was done and then, the weight of the HCl that reacted with 1 g
of antacid tablet was calculated which is equal to 0.10206 g (1 st trial) and 0.098415 g (2 nd trial). The
weight of HCl/gram antacid tablet is equal to 0.2 (for the 1 st and 2nd trial) which shows the effectiveness of
the medicine in the body is somewhat low because the medicine that was used is generic.

INTRODUCTION
Acid-Base titration is the determination of the concentration of an acid or base by exactly
neutralizing the acid or base with an acid or base of known concentration. This allows for quantitative
analysis of the concentration of an unknown acid or base solution. It makes use of the neutralization
reaction that occurs between acids and bases. It can also be used to find percent purity of chemicals.
Antacid tablets are probably one of the most widely used self-prescribed medicines. They are taken to
relieve the medically undefined conditions of heartburn, acid indigestion and sour stomach. Excessive
hydrochloric acid in the stomach causes a feeling of discomfort and a burning sensation beneath the
breastbone resulting from a spastic backflow of this acid content into the esophagus. Antacid tablets
counteract stomach acidity by reacting with the excess hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Some of these
tablets contain Al(OH)3 or Mg(OH)2 or both. These components neutralize the excess stomach acids. The
efficiency of antacid tablets may be determined and compared by finding the number of grams of HCl that
can be neutralized by 1 g of the tablet, the more efficient the antacid. In determining the efficiency of an
antacid tablet, the volume of unreacted HCl in the antacid mixture is titrated with NaOH.
The chemical equation that describes the reaction between HCl and NaOH is
HCl + NaOH

NaCl + H2O

The equation used to calculate the amount of HCl neutralized is

NHCl x VHCl = NNaOH x VNaOH
Since both HCl and NaOH have 1 equivalence point per mole, the following equation may also be
used,
MHCl x VHCl = MNaOH x VNaOH
Reference/s:
Samonte, J.L.; Figueroa, L.V. General Chemistry Laboratory Manual 4th edition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid%E2%80%93base_titration