Acid–base titrations depend on the neutralization between an acid and a base when mixed in solution.  In addition to the sample, an appropriate pH indicator is added to the titration chamber, representing the pH range of the equivalence point. The acid–base indicator indicates the endpoint of the titration by changing color. The endpoint and the equivalence point are not exactly the same because the equivalence point is determined by the stoichiometry of the reaction while the endpoint is just the color change from the indicator. Thus, a careful selection of the indicator will reduce the indicator error. For example, if the equivalence point is at a pH of 8.4, then the phenolphthalein indicator would be used instead of Alizarin Yellow because phenolphthalein would reduce the indicator error. Common indicators, their colors, and the pH range in which they change color are given in the table above. When more precise results are required, or when the reagents are a weak acid and a weak base, a pH meter or a conductance meter are used.
For very strong bases, such as organolithium reagent, metal amides, and hydrides, water is generally not a suitable solvent and indicators whose pKa are in the range of aqueous pH changes are of little use. Instead, the titrant and indicator used are much weaker acids, and anhydrous solvents such as THF are used.
The approximate pH during titration can be approximated by three kinds of calculations. Before beginning of titration, the concentration of  is calculated in an aqueous solution of weak acid before adding any base. When the number of moles of bases added equals the number of moles of initial acid or so called equivalence point, one of hydrolysis and the pH is calculated in the same way that the conjugate bases of the acid titrated was calculated. Between starting and end points,  is obtained from the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and titration mixture is considered as buffer. In Henderson-Hasselbalch equation the  and  are said to be the molarities that would have been present even with dissociation or hydrolysis. In a buffer,  can be calculated exactly but the dissociation of , the hydrolysis of  and self-ionization of water must be taken into account. Four independent equations must be used:
In the equations,  and  are the moles of acid () and salt ( where X is the cation), respectively, used in the buffer, and the volume of solution is . The law of mass action is applied to the ionization of water and the dissociation of acid to derived the first and second equations. The mass balance is used in the third equation, where the sum of  and  must equal to the number of moles of dissolved acid and base, respectively. Charge balance is used in the fourth equation, where the left hand side represents the total charge of the cations and the right hand side represents the total charge of the anions:  is the molarity of the cation (e.g. sodium, if sodium salt of the acid or sodium hydroxide is used in making the buffer).