Alkalimetry and acidimetry are types of volumetric analyses in which the fundamental reaction is a neutralization reaction. They involve the controlled addition of either an acid or a base (titrant) of known concentration to the solution of the unknown concentration (titrate) until the reaction reaches its stoichiometric equivalence point. At this point, the moles of acid and base are equal, resulting in a neutral solution:   
:acid + base → salt + water
For example:
:HCl + NaOH → NaCl + HO
Acidimetry is the specialized analytical use of acid-base titration to determine the concentration of a basic (alkaline) substance using standard acid. This can be used for weak bases and strong bases. An example of an acidimetric titration involving a strong base is as follows:
:Ba(OH) + 2 H → Ba + 2 HO
In this case, the strong base (Ba(OH)) is neutralized by the acid until all of the base has reacted. This allows the viewer to calculate the concentration of the base from the volume of the standard acid that is used.
Alkalimetry follows uses same concept of specialized analytic acid-base titration, but to determine the concentration of an acidic substance using standard base. An example of an alkalimetric titration involving a strong acid is as follows:
:HSO + 2 OH → SO + 2 HO
In this case, the strong acid (HSO) is neutralized by the base until all of the acid has reacted. This allows the viewer to calculate the concentration of the acid from the volume of the standard base that is used.
The standard solution (titrant) is stored in the burette, while the solution of unknown concentration (analyte/titrate) is placed in the Erlenmeyer flask below it with an indicator.