CHEMISTRY

PROJECT ON
AMOUNT OF ASORBIC
ACID PRESENT IN
CITRUS FRUITS

PREPARED BY:
K.Sowbhernika
XII – ‘A’
2019-2020
Sri Kris
h International School

Abstract
To study and calculate the content of ascorbic
acid in different citrus fruits.

Micrograph of ascorbic acid crystals

 Theory
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid in citrus fruits is a water
soluble carbohydrate like substance involved in
certain metabolic processes of animals. Although
most of the animals can synthesise vitamin C, it is
necessary in the diet of some including men and
other primates. In order to prevent scurvy,
disease characterized by haemorrhage especially
in skin and mucous membranes Vitamin C was
identified as a curative agent for survey in 1928.
The name ascorbic acid is derived from the
expression anaisearbatic vitamin, referring to
vitamin’s ability to prevent and to curve scurvy.
First isolated in 1928 by Hungarian biochemist
and Nobel Prize winner Albert Seent Ceyorghi.
Vitamin C has been the object of continued active
laboratory research to determine the specific
mechanism of action of cells.
 Structure
Ascorbic acid (AA) is a simple sugar. It is the
most active reducing agent known to occur
naturally in living tissues, and is easily
reversibly oxidized to Dehydroascorbic acid
(DHA). Ascorbic acid is a white crystalline
stable substance, when in dry light and air. It
is easily soluble in water and easily oxidized
especially in alkaline medium and exposure to
heat and light, it reacts with metals,
particularly copper. It is fairly soluble in cold
acid solution. Though the first stage in its
oxidation to DHA is reversible, oxidation to
diketo-gulnic acid cannot be reversed.
 PROPERTIES

Chemical formula: C6H8O6.

Molar mass:176.12 GMOL-1
Appearance : white or light yellow solid.
Density: 1.65 G/CM^3
Melting point : 190 to 192 C
Acidity (pKa) : 4.10(first),11.6(second)
 Chemistry
 ACIDITY
Ascorbic acid, the formula of which C6H8O6,
behaves as a vinologous carboxylic acid,
wherein double bond (“vinyl”) transmits
electron pairs between the hydroxyl and
carbonyl. There are two resonance structures
for the deprotonated form, differing in the
position of double bond.
Another way to look at ascorbic acid is to
consider it an enol. The deprotonated form is
an enolate, which is usually strong basic.
However, adjacent double bond stabilized the
deprotonated form.
 TAUTOMERISM
Ascorbic acid is rapidly in converts into two
unstable diketone tautomers by proton
transfer, although it is the most stable in the
enol form. The proton of the enol is lost,
reacquired by electrons in the form of double
bond, to produce a diketone. It is an enol
reaction there are two possible forms: 1,2-
diketone and 1,3-diketone.
 DETERMINATION
The concentration of the solution of ascorbic acid
can be determined in many ways; the most
common way involves titration with an oxidizing
agent.
 DCPIP (2,6-Dichlorophenolindophenol)
A commonly- used oxidizing agent is the dye 2,6-
dichlorophenol – indophenols, or DCPIP for short.
The blue dye is run into the ascorbic acid solution
until a faint pink colour persists for 15 seconds.
 IODINE
Another method involving using iodine and a
starch indicator, wherein iodine reacts with
ascorbic acid, and when all the ascorbic acid had
reacted, the iodine is excess, then forming a blue
– black complex with starch indicator. This
indicates the end point of the titration. As an
alternative, ascorbic acid can be reacted with
iodine in excess, followed by back titration with
sodium thiosulfate while using starch as indicator
 IODATE AND IODINE
The above method involving iodine requires
making up and standardizing the iodine solution.
One way around this is to generate the iodine in
presence of ascorbic acid by the reaction of iodate
and iodide ion in acid solution.
 N – BROMOSUCCINIMIDE
A much-less-common oxidizing agent is N
bromosuccinimide, (NBS). In titration the NBS
oxidizes the ascorbic acid 9 in presence of
potassium iodide and starch). When the NBS in
excess (i.e., the reaction is complete). The NBS
liberates iodine from the potassium iodide, which
then forms the blue/black complex with starch,
indicating the end–point of the titration.
 Uses
Ascorbic acid is easily oxidized and so is used
a reductant in photographic developer
solutions amongst ethers and as a
preservative. Exposure to oxygen, metals,
light, and heat destroys ascorbic acid, so it
must be stored in dark, cold and not metal
container. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid
is known as vitamin C. The name “ascorbic”
comes from its property of preventing and
curing scurvy. Primates including humans and
few other species of the same animal
kingdom, notably the guinea pig, have lost the
ability to synthesize ascorbic acid, and must
obtain it in their food. Ascorbic and its sodium,
potassium, calcium salts are commonly used
as antioxidant food additives. These
compounds are water-soluble and thus cannot
protect fact from oxidation. For this purpose,
the fat soluble esters of ascorbic acid with
long chain fatty acid can be used as food
antioxidants. 80% of World’s supply of
ascorbic acid is produced in China.
 Requirements
 Water
 Spirit
 Starch
 Iodine(solid)
 Lemon Juice
 Orange Juice
 Citrus Maxima Juice
 Burette
 Pipette
 Conical flask
 Standard flask
 Bunsen burner
 Muslin cloth
 Procedure
 Weight 0.254g of solid iodine and pour in
a dry beaker.
 Add 4g of solid potassium iodide.
 Then add distilled water then dissolve
iodine and potassium in it.
 Transfer this solution to a clean 100ml
volumetric flask and prepare required
quantity of distilled water that was added to
make 100ml of iodine solution.
 In this way another 100ml of iodine
solution is prepared. This solution has a
molarity of 0.01M.
 Now a starch solution is prepared by
adding a spatula of starch to 100ml of water
and subsequently boiling it.
 The fruit juices are extracted and filtered
using muslin cloth.
 The iodine solution of 0.01M is taken in a
burette and 5ml of filtered juice is pippeted
out in a conical flask.
 To the juice 1ml of starch solution is
added.
 The solution of juice is titrated against
iodine solution.
  The process is stopped at the point the
colour of solution in conical flask changes
from fruit juice to violet colour.
 Three concordant readings are taken.
 Result
The following are the percentage of ascorbic
acid to various citrus fruits.
 Lemon juice=31.68%.
 Orange juice=49.28%.
 Citrus Maxima = 70.4%

Sl.No. Name of the citrus fruit Vitamin-C/100ml

1. Amla (Emblica officinalis) 178 mg

2. Mausami (Citrus sinesis) 52 mg

3. Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) 42.5 mg

4. Lemon (Citrus limon) 38.5 mg

 Conclusions
The percentage of ascorbic acid was found to
be less in lemon juice and more in Citrus
Maxima juice. Here starch solution was added
to the fruit juices, before doing titration due to
which some of the fruit content reacted starch
and a permanent complex was formed which
could not be oxidized.

Table 4. Determination of ascorbic acid in citrus fruits juices by DCPIP

dye titration method. Fruits Volume of sample (ml) *Volume of
DCPIP solution consumed (ml) *Amount of ascorbic acid per100 ml
juice mean ± SD Lemon 5 6.23 33± 1.08 a Bitter orange 5 5.80 30.63 ±
0.86 Pomelo 5 12.63 66.70± 1.72 Sweet orange 5 4.16 22 ± 0.65
Grapefruit 5 7.03 37.5 ± 0.67 b Citron 5 2.90 15.5 ± 0.42
 Bibliography
 Saraswathi lab manual chemistry – XII
 Comprehensive lab manual chemistry
 www.britanica.com
 www.google.com
 www.wolframalpha.com