VELS VIDHYASHRAM,

PALLAVARAM
2019-2020
CHEMISTRY
INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

BY
HARIESH
KUMAR
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XII-B

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I hereby acknowledge my deep sense of gratitude

and indebtedness to Mrs Jayashree Mam,
(Chemistry) whose immense help, genius
guidance, encouragement, necessary suggestions,
initiations, enthusiasm and inspiration made this
work a master art and a joint enterprise.
In the accomplishment of this project successfully,
many people have best owned upon me their
blessings and the heart pledged support, this time
I am utilizing to thank all the people who have
been concerned with project.

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Yours
HARIESH KUMAR

Contents

1. Acknowledgement............................03
2. Introduction......................................05
3. Theory................................................06
4. Experiment........................................07
5. Procedure............................................08
6.Observation.........................................09
7.Calculation..........................................09
8.Result...................................................10
9.Conclusion...........................................10
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10.Bibiliography.....................................11

Introduction

G
uava is a common sweet fruit found in India and
many other places around the world. Guavas are
plants in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae) genus
Psidium (meaning "pomegranate" in Latin), which
contains about 100 species of tropical shrub. On
ripening it turns yellow in color. Rich in vitamin C,
this fruit is a rich source of oxalate ions whose
content varies during the different stages of ripening.
Guavas have a pronounced and typical fragrance, similar to lemon
rind but less in strength.

What is oxalate?

I i is a carboxylic acid, primarily found in plants and animals. It is not

an essential molecule and is excreted from our body, unchanged.
Our body either produces oxalate on its own or converts other
molecules like Vitamin C to oxalate. External sources like food also
contribute to the accumulation of
oxalate in our body.
The oxalate present in
the body is excreted
in the form of
urine as waste. Too

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much of oxalate in our urine results in a medical condition called
hyperoxaluria, commonly referred to as kidney stones. Diet is looked
upon as a preventive measure in addition to medication to treat
kidney stones.

THEORY
O xalate ions are extracted from the fruit by boiling pulp
with dilute H2SO4. The oxalate ions are estimated
volumetrically, by titrating the solution with KMnO4 solution. A
reagent, called the titrant, of a known concentration (a standard
solution) and volume is used to react with a solution of the analyte
or titrand, whose concentration is not known. Using a calibrated
burette or chemistry pipetting syringe to add the titrant, it is possible
to determine the exact amount that has been consumed when the
endpoint is
reached. The
endpoint is the
point at
which the titration is complete, as determined by an indicator. This is
ideally the same volume as the equivalence point.

T
i volume of added titrant at which the number of moles of titrant is
equal to the number of moles of
analyte, or some multiple thereof (as
in polyprotici acids). In the classic
strong acid-strong base titration, the
endpoint of a titration is the point at
which the pH of the reactant is just
about equal to 7, and often when the

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 solution takes on a persisting solid colour as in the
pink of phenolphthalein indicator.

Experiment

Aim: To study the presence of oxalate ions

in guava fruit at different stages of
ripening.

Requirements: 100 ml measuring flask, ,Pestle &

Mortar, Beaker ,Burette, Titration Flask
,Funnel,Weightbox,Pipette,Filter
Paper,Dil.H2So4,0.05N KMno4 Solution, Guava
Fruits at different Stages Of ripening

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 Procedure
(1) Weighed 50 g of fresh guava and
crushed it to a fine pulp using pestle and
mortar.
(2) Transferred the crushed pulp to a beaker
and added about 50 ml dilute H2SO4 to it.
(3) Boiled the content for about 10 minutes.
Cooled and filtered the contents in a 100 ml
measuring flask.
(4) Made up the volume 100 ml by adding
ample amount of distilled water.
(5) Took 20 ml of the solution from the
flask and added 20 ml of dilute sulphuric
acid to it.

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 (6) Heated the mixture to about 600 C and
titrated it against (n/10) KMnO4 solution
taken in a burette till the end point had an
appearance of pink colour.
(7) Repeated the above experiment with 50 g
of 1day, 2 day and 3 day old guava fruits.

Observation
1. Weight of the guava fruit for each time was 50 g.
2. Volume of guava extract taken for each titration
was 20 ml.
3. Normality of KMnO4 solution was (1/20).
4. END POINT: Colour Changes to pink
Guava Burette Final Volume of Concurrent
Extract reading Reading KMnO4 Reading
From Initial
Fresh
1 day old ___ml
2-day old

Calculation
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 1) For Fresh guava
N1V1 = N2V2
N1 x 20 = (1/20) x X
 Normality of oxalate , N1= (x/400)
Strength of oxalate in fresh guava extract
= normality x Eq. mass of oxalate
ion
= (x/400) x 44g/litre of diluted extract

Result
(a) The normality of oxalate ions of;

(i) Fresh guava solution is = ml

(ii) Semi-ripen guava solution is = ml
(iii) Ripened guava solution is = ml
(b) The strength of oxalate ions of;
(i) Fresh guava solution is = ml
(ii) Semi-ripened guava is = ml
(iii) Ripened guava is = ml

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 Conclusion
The content of oxalate ions in guava was
found to be 59.67 per cent, which is close to
the literature value of 60 percent.
It was also noticed that the content of
oxalic ions grows with ripening of guava.

Bibiliography
1. Search engines used:
 www.google.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.reader.google.com
 www.labs.google.com
 www.quora.com
2. Practical Chemistry by Laxmi Publications.

3.The Family Encyclopedia by Dorling

Kindersley

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