Final answer:
The purpose of titrating hydrogen peroxide with potassium permanganate is to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the solution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of titrating a solution of hydrogen peroxide with a solution of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is primarily to measure the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution. Potassium permanganate acts as a self-indicating titrant due to its strong color, which disappears when it reacts completely with hydrogen peroxide, signifying the endpoint of the titration.
During the titration, a redox reaction occurs in which the colorless hydrogen peroxide is oxidized to water and oxygen, and the purple potassium permanganate is reduced to colorless or slightly pink manganese dioxide. Monitoring the volume of KMnO4 solution required to reach this point allows the determination of the concentration of H2O2 in the sample.