Manual titration is done with a buret, which is a long graduated tube to accurately deliver amounts of titrant. The amount of titrant used in the titration is found by reading the volume of titrant in the buret before beginning the titration and after reaching the endpoint. The difference in these readings is the volume of titrant to reach the endpoint. The most important factor for making accurate titrations is to read the buret volumes reproducibly. The figure shows how to do so by using the bottom of the meniscus to read the reagent volume in the buret.

The end point can be determined by an indicator as described above or by an instrumental method. The most common instrumental detection method is potentiometric detection. The equivalence point of an acid-base titration can be detected with a pH electrode. Titrations, such as complexation or precipitation, involving other ions can use an ion-selective electrode (ISE). UV-vis absorption spectroscopy is also common, especially for complexometric titrations where a subtle color change occurs.

For repetitive titrations, autotitrators with microprocessors are available that deliver the titrant, stop at the endpoint, and calculate the concentration of the analyte. The endpoint is usually detected by some type of electrochemical measurement. Some examples of titrations for which autotitrators are available include:

• Acid or base determination by pH measurement with potentiometric detection.
• Determination of water by Karl Fischer reagent (I₂ and SO₂ in methyl alcohol and pyridine) with coulometric detection.
• Determination of Cl in aqueous solution with phenylarsene oxide using amperometric detection.

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