Industrial Titration

Titration is the process of determining the concentration of a substance by using the smallest amount of a known concentration of a substance within a known volume. The way to determine the concentration in class, is by adding amounts of reagent to a known volume of a solution with a burette, until a color change was observed.




Titration is used in the wine industries. Winemakers must get the proper amount of acid into their wines. Too much acid can make the wine taste tart and sour. Too little acid can make the wine tastes flat and dull. Winemakers use titration to get the perfect acid blend to use with a certain amount of sugar, alcohol, and three main acids; tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid. There are many types of wine, and each type requires a different acidity level. For example, dry white wines require .65-.75% acidity, dry red wines .60-.70%, sweet white wines .70-.85%, and sweet red wines .65-80% acidity.

Reaction to Reactions

Why should anyone be aware of chemical reactions? Chemical reactions are apart of everyday life. There are chemical reactions happening every where around us. Chemical reactions show us how molecules interact and how things work. There are reactions going on in photography, fireworks, and even when a person is breathing.

Another reaction happening in everyday life is when someone starts their car. Inside the car, the battery produces electrical charges through a chemical reaction. The battery has plates of lead and plates of lead oxide, which are fixed into a solution of water and sulfuric acid. The acid responds to the lead plates and changes the lead oxide into lead sulfate. The chemicals then produce electricity to transfer through wires in order to turn on lights and start the ignition. During recharge of the battery, the reaction reverses in direction. The recharge changes lead sulfate back to lead and lead oxide. The chemical reactions continue to happen when the car is recharged and discharged. The chemical equation for this reaction is, 
PbO2+Pb+2H2SO4 --> 2PbSO4+2H2O