[sciencechick]

i need to know how to do a titration for hycdrochloric acid and sodium carbonate. i am trying to find the concentration of the hydrochloric acid

[AWK]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-base_titration
http://www.ausetute.com.au/titrcalc.html
http://www.math.duke.edu/education/ccp/materials/calculus_projects/TitrationProj/Titration1.html

and much much more can be found searching internet

[sciencechick]

thank you for the sites. i did use the internet before but maybe my question wasnt specific enough sorry im still getting use to this. in my textbook it says that i need to add the solution of the unknown concentration to the buret but then websites tell me to add the solution of the known concentration to the buret so it really confused me. would you have any knowledge on which one to use.

[Arkcon]

Generally, a classroom laboratory involving a titration comes in two parts.  You're given a titrant of some approximate concentration.  You use a known standard to determine it's concentration, then use your newly standardized titrant to determine unknown concentration.

Example:  You'll be given a ~0.1 M HCl solution.  You'll carefully mass out a quantity of base, and titrate with your HCl. You'll know how much base you have, so you'll be able to compute the concentration.  You'll get an answer like, 0.1030 or 0.0997.  You'll use your determined value for HCl conc. to determine your unknown carbonate samples.

In industry, we often purchase previously standardized titrants.  Sometimes spending hundreds of US$ or more, for a gallon of 0.1 N NaOH or 0.05 N AgNO3.  That's why the internet says to use known conc. of titrant.

Even so, you may be called on to verify your titrant.  This is especially true of hydroxides, they react with CO2 in the atomosphere, and are constantly changing titer.

[Padfoot]

Also:

in my textbook it says that i need to add the solution of the unknown concentration to the buret but then websites tell me to add the solution of the known concentration to the buret so it really confused me. would you have any knowledge on which one to use.

usually the standard goes in the burette.