In many assay procedures , a titration
seves as the final step, being preceded by other chemical reactions ,
separation techniques , or other manipulations .It may be noted here that
titrimetry is a widely applicable approach for quantitative analysis , and is
often coupled with other methods.
One of the advantages of titrimetry as an
analytical approach is that it is an absolute method of analysis . The meaning
of this statement will not be fully clear until we have studied methods lacking
this attribute ,but it simply mean that , by titrimetric analysis , the purity
of a sample compound can be determined without reference to a separate specimen
of that same compound (whose purity might itself be in doubt). For example , a
sodium hydroxide solution can be standardized against primary standard grade
potassium biphthalate , and then the purity of a sample of acetic acid can be
determined by titration with the NAOH solution . Thus the purity of the acetic
acid has been obtained without making any assumptions about acetic acid(that is , without using acetic
acid as a primary standard) . Such assumptions were , of coutse , made about
the potassium biphthalate , and independent evidence must be available to
support them .
A titration is feasible when (1) the titration
reaction is rapid compared with the speed of titration ; (2) its equilibrium
constant is large enough to give a sharp “break” at the end point ; (3) a
method of end point detection is available . Whether or not the titration
should be used for a particular analysis will depend upon many factors ,including
the sensitivity required , possible interfering substances that would also betitrated and alternative methods of analysis.