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Acid-base Titration

Mediumchemistry

A standard solution was prepared by dissolving 0.63 g of pure oxalic acid dihydrate in water and making up to 250 mL. What volume of 0.10 M sodium hydroxide is needed to neutralise 25 mL of this solution?

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About This Question

Subject
chemistry
Chapter
principles related to practical chemistry
Topic
acid-base titration
Difficulty
Medium
Year
2025
Tags
acid-base titrationoxalic acidstandard solutionequivalence pointdiprotic acid

Solution

Correct Answer:

10 mL

Oxalic acid dihydrate, H_2C_2O_4·2H_2O, has a molar mass of 126 g mol^{-1}, so 0.63 g corresponds to 0.63/126 = 0.005 mol in 250 mL, giving a molarity of 0.005/0.250 = 0.02 M. Oxalic acid is diprotic, providing two ionisable protons per molecule, so 25 mL of the 0.02 M solution contains 0.02 × 25 × 2 = 1.0 milliequivalent of acid. At the equivalence point the milliequivalents of base equal those of acid, so the sodium hydroxide must supply 1.0 milliequivalent. Since sodium hydroxide is monoacidic, its normality equals its molarity at 0.10 N, and the required volume is 1.0/0.10 = 10 mL. Option 5 mL ignores the diprotic nature of oxalic acid and treats it as supplying only one proton. Option 20 mL doubles the acid equivalents incorrectly. Option 25 mL assumes equal concentrations and a one-to-one mole ratio, which is not the case here. This stoichiometric reasoning underlies the NCERT standard titration exercise. Plausibility check: the more dilute, diprotic acid needs a modest volume of the more concentrated base, and 10 mL is consistent in order of magnitude.

This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter principles related to practical chemistry, covering the topic of acid-base titration. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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