<p>smder, as the titration curve approaches the equivalence point, the concentration of OH-/H+ is decreasing.</p>
<p>think of it this way.</p>
<p>say you start w/ HCl w/ a Ph of 0 (1.0M HCl) and like 100mL of it.
you start adding NaOH..... you add 10mL of 1.0M NaOH</p>
<p>titration curves usually have Ph on the y-axis, volume of NaOH (in this case) on the x-axis.
what is the Ph after the 10mL of NaOH? .1moles HCl- .01moles NaOH
= .09moles HCl into 110mL of NaOH</p>
<p>what is the molarity of that-------- .09/.110 = .8181M
-log(.8181) = .08715 which is very close to 0. so adding 10mL of NaOH to 100mL of HCl barely changes the Ph.</p>
<p>go up to 100mL 1.0M HCl w/ 50mL 1.0M NaOH
.1mol HCl + .05mol NaOH --> .05 mol HCl left
150mL of solution
.05/.150 =.333M
Ph of that = .47756 --> still not even at 1. </p>
<p>now go to 80mL
.1mol HCl + .08mol NaOH --> .02mol HCl left.
180mL
.02/.180=.11111111M
Ph of that = .9542--> STILL not even at 1!
80mL of NaOH and not even at 1!</p>
<p>that's why it isn't linear......... if you continued at this rate using just up to 80mL at extrapolating to future Ph, it wouldn't go above like 2 or 3.</p>
<p>let's look at 95mL NaOH now.
.005 mol HCl left
195mL--> M = .0256M
ph of that = 1.5911--> finally above 1, but still very low (remember that 7 is neutral), that's only 5mL away from equivalence point!</p>
<p>look at 99mL NaOH.
.001 mol HCl left
199mL -->.005025M
Ph = 2.298864--> not even 7, and this is ONE mL away from equivalence point!</p>
<p>at 100mL, Ph = 7..... think of the jump between that! take the slop assuming it's linear.
7-2.298864/(.1-.099) = 4.7011/.001 = 4701.1--> slope of the line.... very VERY high.</p>
<p>that's why there's such a straight line straight up near Ph.</p>