One of the most important things to have when performing an acid-base titration is a titrant of accurate concentration. This can either be purchased from a chemical company, or prepared in the laboratory. A titrant of known concentration can be easily prepared and measured using a titration method known as standardization.

Listed below are the steps involved in the preparation and standardization of NAOH solution.

First, determine the volume of sodium hydroxide and water needed to prepare a volume of solution of a desired concentration. A useful equation for this calculation is

M₁V₁ = M₂V₂, where M represents molarity and V volume. As an example, lets say that we need to prepare 100 mL of a 1.00 M sodium hydroxide solution from 2.00 M solution. How much 2.00 M sodium hydroxide would we need to prepare the solution?

(2.00 M)(V₁) = (1.00 M)(0.0100 L)

V₁ = 0.050 L

Therefore, we would need to dilute 50 mL of 2.00 M sodium hydroxide to 100 mL using deionized water. This would give 100 mL of an approximately 1.00 M sodium hydroxide solution.