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Titrant Vs Titrate: When To Use Each One? What To Consider

Titrant Vs Titrate: When To Use Each One? What To Consider

Titrant vs. titrate: Unless you look at these words keenly, you might fail to notice that they are not the same. So, is their difference only showcased in their spellings? We will be happy to help you answer this question and others related to the differences and comparisons between titrant and titrate.

In analytical chemistry, a titrant is a chemical reagent of known concentration and volume used during titration. In contrast, titrate means “to ascertain the volume of a constituent in a chemical mixture by measuring the volume of the standard solution (titrant) needed to complete the reaction.”

From their spellings, you can tell that “titrant” and “titrate” are related terms. However, how are they related? Read what we have for you in this article, especially on the definitions, meanings, uses, and various contexts of these two words, to find out.

Definitions Of Titrant And Titrate

Finding definitions of English words is easy. It is because you can use a dictionary online or offline. However, the availability of several dictionaries sometimes makes it harder to understand the meanings of specific words.

For instance, different sources may provide multiple meanings for a word, making it hard to understand which definition is correct. For this reason, we researched various sources and prepared the following comprehensive definitions of “titrant” and “titrate.”

Definition Of Titrant

(Noun) A titrant is a reagent of a known concentration and amount used in titrations in analytical chemistry. Let us look at a sentence example to understand, “The students do not have enough titrant for their chemistry experiment.”

In simpler terms, a titrant is a solution or substance of known concentration used in the titration. In Chemistry experiments, the titrant is the solution you add from a burette to a measured quantity of another solution.

Let’s look at a sentence example, “Kindly place the titrant in the burette and add it slowly to the container to a specific volume until the reaction completes.”

Definition Of Titrate

(Verb) Titrate means “to ascertain the volume of a constituent solution by measuring the amount of a known concentration needed to complete a reaction.”

Another meaning of titrate is “to measure the volume or concentration of a solution by titration.” Titration is the determination of a substance’s concentration in a solution by slowly adding measured amounts of a reagent until the end of a reaction. For instance, titration may involve adding a reagent into a solution until it changes color.

So, to titrate, measure the amount of solution you will add to the mixture until the reaction completes. Let’s look at an example in a sentence, “The instructions require us to titrate the chemical solution until it turns black.”

Titrate also means “to test or be subjected to the process of titration.” For instance, “Please bring over the solution; Jane is ready to titrate it.”

In Medicine, titrate means “to adjust the amount a drug a patient consumes until you achieve the desired effects.” For example, in a sentence, “The goal is to titrate the vitamin dosages until we deliver the patient out of malnutrition.”

How To Properly Use Each Word In A Sentence

The top places you will hear people using these words are in medical settings or chemistry labs. However, it does not mean you should not learn how to use them, for you can always benefit from the knowledge. Here are some guidelines to help you form proper sentences with the words “titrant” and “titrate.”

How To Use The Word Titrant

You can only use this word in specific contexts where you need to refer to a reagent of known volume and concentration used in titrations. In this case, use this word as a noun.

Here is an example in a sentence, “The titrant did not produce the expected results when we added it to the solution.” The plural form for “titrant” is “titrants. In a sentence, “You should store the titrants away from light.”

How To Use The Word Titrate

Titrate is a verb. Therefore, you should use it in a sentence when referring to an activity in relation to its definitions. 

Also, since “titrate” is a verb, it features various word forms. They are:

  • The past tense is “titrated.”
  • The third-person singular simple present indicative form is “titrates” “I will watch keenly as the doctor titrates the drug dosage.”
  • The present participle is “titrating.”
  • The past participle is “titrated.”

So you can use the past tense when referring to a context that has already happened. For example, in a sentence, “The doctors titrated the intravenous diazepam dosage until the patient’s seizure stopped.”

You can use its present participle when referring to an ongoing activity. Here is an example in a sentence, ‘Jane is titrating the solution as the teacher watches closely for grading.”

Titrant vs. titrate: Other Considerations When Using These Words

One of the first things you should know before using these words is that they are derived from “titration.” Therefore, you should first learn the meaning of titration according to Chemistry or Medicine. Doing so will keep you from misusing these words. 

While titrant is a noun, it does not have other word forms (adjective or adverb) apart from its plural. Therefore, it would be incorrect to derive other words like “titranting” from this word.

Also, when using these words in conversations, you would benefit from knowing their pronunciation. The best way to master a word’s pronunciation is to break it down into syllables. For instance:

  • Titrant: has two syllables (ti – trant), and its pronunciation is “/tahy-trunt/.”
  • Titrate: has two syllables (ti – trate), and its pronunciation is “/tahy-treyt/.”

Word Vs Word Posts

List Of Examples Of Titrant And Titrate Use In Sentences

Linguistic studies show that reading sentence examples is one of the best ways to comprehend new words and incorporate them into your vocabulary. So, now that you know the meanings of “titrant” and “titrate,” it would be wise to look at some example sentences where they are applied. Below are some excellent examples:

Example sentences of the word titrant

  1. John failed the assignment because he forgot to place the titrant in the jar during titration. 
  2. You only need two drops of the titrant for the experiment. 
  3. The students got in trouble for using the titrant for entertainment experiments instead of the chemical analysis. 
  4. Please check the titrant for pollutants before you begin the experiment.
  5. Mrs. Copper forgot to lock away the titrant after the experiment.

Example sentences of the word titrate

  1. The doctors now know the exact amount to titrate so the drugs can work on elderlies with Schizophrenia. 
  2. I failed my Chemistry practical because I did not know how to titrate the solution. 
  3. Kindly add 20mls of the digestion solution before you titrate its nitrogen content. 
  4. Most of my patients do not need to titrate off this medication, but Mr. Kenneth is a unique case. 
  5. The FDA does not approve for doctors to titrate treatments without frequent assessment, especially in life-or-death situations. 

Conclusion

Besides their related definitions, ‘titrant” and ‘titrate” have two syllables, and their first syllables are pronounced the same. Also, these words are both commonly used in Chemistry and Medicine. Therefore, it makes sense that you would confuse these words with each other.

Besides “titrant” and “titrate,” thousands of English words confuse people, including native English speakers. Some of these words do not sound alike but have similar spellings. In contrast, others do not sound or look alike but have similar meanings. Regardless of the scenario, we aim to help you advance your vocabulary without getting confused.