When performing a titration between an acid and a base, you are witnessing a neutralization reaction. In this process, an acid reacts with a base to produce water and a salt. In our case, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a strong base, reacts with hydrochloric acid (HCl), a strong acid:
\[ \text{NaOH} + \text{HCl} \rightarrow \text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{NaCl} \]
- NaOH and HCl are mixed in a 1:1 molar ratio, meaning they neutralize each other perfectly in equivalent amounts.
- The balanced equation tells us that one mole of NaOH neutralizes one mole of HCl, resulting in the formation of water (H鈧侽) and salt (NaCl).
This reaction is crucial in titration experiments as it helps determine an unknown concentration by adding a known concentration of another reactant until the reaction is complete.