JCE Software, 7B1: TITRATE

TITRATE: A Learning Tool for Acid-Base Titrations

Richard W. Ramette
Northfield, MN 55057

Note:
Series B (MS DOS) software previously included on the General Chemistry Collection CD-ROM is now available for free download by Journal of Chemical Education subscribers.
Go to the download page.

Screen from TITRATE.
TITRATE makes it easy to calculate (and simultaneously plot) a titration curve for any base or acid (up to hexaprotic), or any mixture (up to 5 substances). TITRATE supplants the programs FABTIC (Final Acid-Base Titration Curve program) and CURVPLOT published as part of The Acid-Base Package in 1989 (1).
TITRATE has a built-in library of 109 common acids, bases and salts, and you can create a custom file with any desired additions. Calculations for these substances may either include or omit corrections for ionic strength and activity coefficient effects.
Users may choose an unknown (fictitious) acid or base, from monoprotic to triprotic, and use plotted titration data to deduce molar mass and pK values. The correct answers are available as a program option. The instructor may choose unknowns as student assignments with answers available only to the instructor, upon written request.
The running program uses animated portrayals of either manual titration, i.e., controlling a conventional 50-mL buret with all the problems of sneaking up on the endpoint, or free-running titrations with a simulated autotitrator. The screen displays the emerging titration curve as the experiment proceeds.
Once the curve is displayed, both alpha fraction and buffer capacity curves may be superimposed on the plot, and a typical visual indicator is suggested. A zoom feature allows the user to see an expanded view of any part of the titration curve. Each calculated titration curve is saved on disk, and can be read in by the external data file option. This is especially valuable for plotting actual laboratory data. Several curves may be plotted simultaneously; for example experimental lab data may be directly compared with the theoretical curve.
TITRATE provides a friendly efficient interface with both keyboard and mouse support. A number of titrations can be investigated in a short time. This makes it easy, for example, to see how the buffer-region pH relates to the pK value, or how the quality of the first endpoint for a diprotic acid depends on the difference in the two pK values.
Hardware and Software Requirements
Programs in Series B of JCE: Software are designed for IBM PS/2, PC, or PC-compatible microcomputers with 640K of RAM and one floppy disk drive. VGA or compatible graphics and PC- or MS-DOS 3.1 or later are also required. Disk drives with a capacity of 800 K or larger are recommended.
Literature Cited

Ramette, R. W. The Acid-Base Package, J. Chem. Educ.: Software, 1989, II B(2).

First Published: June 1994
Citation: Ramette, R. W. . TITRATE: A Learning Tool for Acid-Base Titrations J. Chem. Educ. Software 7B1
Keywords: Lecture Aid; Computer Room; Simulation; High School; General; Analytical; Titration curves; Alpha plots

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Last Updated: April 26, 2001
Created: December 4, 1996 Created by: J. L. Holmes
Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu

© 1997 Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.



TITRATE: A Learning Tool for Acid-Base Titrations
Richard W. Ramette Northfield, MN 55057

Note:	Series B (MS DOS) software previously included on the General Chemistry Collection CD-ROM is now available for free download by Journal of Chemical Education subscribers. Go to the download page.

Screen from TITRATE. TITRATE makes it easy to calculate (and simultaneously plot) a titration curve for any base or acid (up to hexaprotic), or any mixture (up to 5 substances). TITRATE supplants the programs FABTIC (Final Acid-Base Titration Curve program) and CURVPLOT published as part of The Acid-Base Package in 1989 (1). TITRATE has a built-in library of 109 common acids, bases and salts, and you can create a custom file with any desired additions. Calculations for these substances may either include or omit corrections for ionic strength and activity coefficient effects. Users may choose an unknown (fictitious) acid or base, from monoprotic to triprotic, and use plotted titration data to deduce molar mass and pK values. The correct answers are available as a program option. The instructor may choose unknowns as student assignments with answers available only to the instructor, upon written request. The running program uses animated portrayals of either manual titration, i.e., controlling a conventional 50-mL buret with all the problems of sneaking up on the endpoint, or free-running titrations with a simulated autotitrator. The screen displays the emerging titration curve as the experiment proceeds. Once the curve is displayed, both alpha fraction and buffer capacity curves may be superimposed on the plot, and a typical visual indicator is suggested. A zoom feature allows the user to see an expanded view of any part of the titration curve. Each calculated titration curve is saved on disk, and can be read in by the external data file option. This is especially valuable for plotting actual laboratory data. Several curves may be plotted simultaneously; for example experimental lab data may be directly compared with the theoretical curve. TITRATE provides a friendly efficient interface with both keyboard and mouse support. A number of titrations can be investigated in a short time. This makes it easy, for example, to see how the buffer-region pH relates to the pK value, or how the quality of the first endpoint for a diprotic acid depends on the difference in the two pK values. Hardware and Software Requirements Programs in Series B of JCE: Software are designed for IBM PS/2, PC, or PC-compatible microcomputers with 640K of RAM and one floppy disk drive. VGA or compatible graphics and PC- or MS-DOS 3.1 or later are also required. Disk drives with a capacity of 800 K or larger are recommended. Literature Cited Ramette, R. W. The Acid-Base Package, J. Chem. Educ.: Software, 1989, II B(2).


News \| Issues \| CD-ROM / Video \| Find It! \| Technical Support \| For Authors
JCE Online \| Journal \| Software \| Internet \| Happenings \| About JCE \| Contact JCE

Last Updated: April 26, 2001 Created: December 4, 1996	Created by: J. L. Holmes Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu

© 1997 Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.