CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF
COMMERCIAL ANTACIDS
COMPARTIVIVE STUDY
OF COMMERCIAL
ANATCIDS
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

.
It is my foremost duty to express my deep regards and
gratitude to my chemistry teacher Mrs.Vishnu Vandana under
whose guidance and supervision I am able to undertake this
project. It is her who has been my primary source of inspiration
and who motivated, guided and encouraged me at different
stages of this project.
I am also thankful for the help rendered by the lab assistant
Mr.Kurumurthy who made available the various lab apparatus
and chemicals needed for the experiment, else it would have
been difficult to perform this project successfully.

I sincerely express my gratitude to our principal Mr.G.Srinivas

Rao who pushed us forward to make this project a grand success
 INDEX

Serial No. CONTENT PAGE NO.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I INTRODUCTION 1

II OBJECTIVE 7

III THEORY 8
MATERIALS
IV REQUIRED 11

V PROCEDURE 13

VI OBSERVATION 17

VII SUMMARY AND 19

CONCLUSION

VIII BIBLIOGRAPHY 20
 INTRODUCTION

It is well known that the food we take undergoes a series of complex reactions
within the body which constitute digestion and metabolism. These reactions are
catalyzed by enzymes which are very specific in their action and can function
properly only when the pH of the medium is within a specific range.

Some enzymes require mildly alkaline conditions while others operate only in
weakly acidic media. Amongst the latter category of enzymes are the enzymes that
control the digestion of proteins present in the food as it reaches the stomach. In
the stomach, dilute hydrochloric acid is secreted and it provides mildly acidic
conditions required for the functioning of protein digesting enzymes in the
stomach.

Gastric acid is a digestive fluid, formed in the stomach. It has a pH of 1.5 to 3.5
and is composed of 0.5 % hydrochloric acid (HCl). It is produced by cells lining
the stomach, which are coupled to systems to increase acid production when
needed.

Other cells in the stomach produce bicarbonate to buffer the acid, ensuring the pH
does not drop too low (acid reduces pH). Also cells in the beginning of the small
intestine, or duodenum, produce large amounts of bicarbonate to completely
neutralize any gastric acid that passes further down into the digestive tract. The
bicarbonate-secreting cells in the stomach also produce and secrete mucus. Mucus
forms a viscous physical barrier to prevent gastric acid from damaging the
stomach.
However, sometimes the stomach begins to secrete an excess of HCl. This leads to
a condition known as Gastric Hyperacidity. This condition can also be triggered by
the intake of to much food or highly spiced food. This, in turn, makes the stomach
lining cells to secrete more acid resulting in Hyperacidity. It also leads to acute
discomfort due to indigestion.

To counter this situation, substances like Antacids or literally anti - acids, have
been developed. Antacids are commercial products that neutralize the excess acid
in the stomach providing a sensation of relief to the person. The action of antacids
is based on the fact that a base can neutralize an acid forming salt and water.

Common antacids satisfy the condition – right amount of alkali that can neutralize
the acid. If the content of alkali in the antacid is too high, no doubt acidity is
relieved, but it’ll create alkaline conditions that makes the digestive enzymes
ineffective.

To make sure that the pH of the stomach remains in a specific range, many
substances are added to the antacids.
 Working of Antacids

If the antacid contains NaHCO3 then the reactions that occur in the
stomach are:
+ + -
Na +HCO3- +H +Cl NaCl+H2CO3

H2CO3 H2O+CO2

The excess Na+ and HCO3-ions are absorbed by the walls of the small intestines as
the food passes through

The H2CO3 formed during the reaction decomposes rapidly to form water and
carbon dioxide gas.

Types of Antacids

 Sodium Antacids (Alka-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer and Others): Sodium

bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda) is perhaps the best-known of
 the sodium-containing antacids. It is potent and fast-acting. As its name
suggests, it is high in sodium. If you're on a salt-restricted diet, and
especially if the diet is intended to treat high blood pressure (hypertension),
take a sodium-containing antacid only under a doctor's orders.

 Calcium Antacids (Tums, Alka-2, Titralac and Others):Antacids in the

form of calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate are also potent and fast-
acting. Regular or heavy doses of calcium (more than five or six times per
week) can cause constipation. Heavy and extended use of this product may
clog your kidneys and cut down the amount of blood they can process.
Extended use of calcium antacids can also cause kidney stones.

 Magnesium Antacids (Maalox, Mylanta, Riopan, Gelusil and

Others):Magnesium salts come in many forms -- carbonate, glycinate,
hydroxide, oxide, trisilicate, and aluminosilicate. Magnesium has a mild
laxative effect; it can cause diarrhea. For this reason, magnesium salts are
rarely used as the only active ingredients in an antacid, but are combined
with aluminum, which counteracts the laxative effect. (The brand names
listed above all contain magnesium-aluminum combinations.) Like calcium,
magnesium may cause kidney stones if taken for a prolonged period,
especially if the kidneys are functioning improperly to begin with. A serious
magnesium overload in the bloodstream (hypermagnesaemia) can also
cause blood pressure to drop, leading to respiratory or cardiac depression -- a
potentially dangerous decrease in lung or heart function.

 Aluminum Antacids (Rolaids, ALternaGEL, Amphojel and Others): Salts

of aluminum (hydroxide, carbonate gel, or phosphate gel) can also cause
constipation. For these reasons, aluminum is usually used in combination
with the other three primary ingredients. Used heavily over an extended
period, antacids containing aluminum can weaken bones, especially in
people who have kidney problems. Aluminum can cause dietary phosphates,
calcium, and fluoride to leave the body, eventually causing bone problems
such as osteomalacia or osteoporosis.
Side effects

 Calcium: Excess calcium from supplements, fortified food and high-calcium

diets, can cause milk-alkali syndrome, which has serious toxicity and can be
fatal.

 Carbonate: Regular high doses may cause alkalosis, which in turn may
result in altered excretion of other drugs, and kidney stones. A chemical
reaction between the carbonate and hydrochloric acid may produce carbon
dioxide gas. This causes gastric distension which may not be well tolerated.
Carbon dioxide formation can also lead to headaches and decreased muscle
flexibility.

 Aluminum hydroxide: May lead to the formation of insoluble aluminium-

phosphate-complexes, with a risk for hypophosphatemia and osteomalacia.
Although aluminium has a low gastrointestinal absorption, accumulation
may occur mainly in the presence of renal insufficiency. Aluminium-
containing drugs often cause constipation and are neurotoxic.

 Magnesium hydroxide: Has laxative properties. Magnesium may

accumulate in patients with renal failure leading to hypermagnesaemia, with
cardiovascular and neurological complications.
  Sodium: increased intake of sodium may be deleterious for arterial
hypertension, heart failure and many renal diseases.

 Heartburn, reflux, indigestion, and sour stomach are a few of the common
terms used to describe digestive upset. Self-diagnosis of indigestion does
carry some risk because the causes can vary from a minor dietary
indiscretion to a peptic ulcer.

 The pain and symptoms of GERD or simply "reflux", may mimic those of a
heart attack. Misdiagnosis can be fatal. A bleeding ulcer can be life
threatening.

 GERD and pre-ulcerative conditions in the stomach are treated much more
aggressively since both, if untreated, could lead to esophageal or stomach
cancer.

 It is primarily for this reason that the H2 blockers including cimetidine

(Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), and ranitidine (Zantac), and the proton
pump inhibitor (PPI) omeprazole (Prilosec) were made OTC.

 These drugs stop production of stomach acid and provide longer lasting
relief but they do not neutralize any stomach acid already present in the
stomach.

Problems with reduced stomach acidity

  Reduced stomach acidity may result in an impaired ability to digest and
absorb certain nutrients, such as iron and the B vitamins. Since the low pH
of the stomach normally kills ingested bacteria, antacids increase the
vulnerability to infection. It could also result in the reduced bioavailability
of some drugs. For example, the bioavailability of ketocanazole (anti-fungal)
is reduced at high intragastric pH (low acid content).

Over usage of antacids naturally have side-effects. As with anything in life, it must
be used in moderation. The following flowchart elucidates very clearly.
 II.OBJECTIVE

This project aims at analyzing some of the commercial antacids to determine

which one of them is the most effective by conducting a quantitative analysis.

Motives behind selecting this research project:

 Consumerism, in the era of global industrialization, plays a very

important role. There are various product options available for
consumers to choose from. Different manufacturers selling their
products, attempting to sway public opinion in their favor, marketing
their products regardless of their effectiveness in functionality. Hence
it becomes the consumer’s right to experiment and know the most
effective, efficient, and value for money product. There are various
methods to conclude that a product out of all the given competitors is
the best. Experimental research is the most rational and convincing
one of those methods. The result of this analysis could be used to
inform oneself as to which antacid is the best and provides best relief.

 Apart from the economic perspective, the titrations that are conducted
as a part of this experiment is in itself an attracting aspect. The
prospect of making color changing solutions, the thrill of chemical
reactions, and conducting them with accuracy is probably the most
interesting part of titrations and the whole project.
 III.THEORY

Antacids react with excess stomach acid by neutralization.

i.e. HCl + NaOH → H2O + NaCl
During the process, hydrogen ions H+ from the acid (proton donor) or a hydronium
ion H3O+ and hydroxide ions OH Θ from the base (proton acceptor) react together
to form a water molecule H2O. In the process, a salt is also formed when the anion
from acid and the cation from base react together. Neutralization reactions are
generally classified as exothermic since heat is released into the surroundings.
Acids are proton donors which convert into conjugated bases. They are generally
pure substances which contain hydrogen ions (H+) or cause them to be produced in
solutions. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) are common
examples. In water, these break apart into ions:
HCl → H+(aq) + ClΘ(aq) OR
H2SO4 → H+(aq) + HSO4Θ(aq)
Bases are proton acceptors which convert into conjugated acids. They are generally
substances which contain hydroxide ion (OHΘ) or produce it in solution. Alkalis
are the soluble bases, i.e. a base which contains a metal from group 1 or 2 of the
periodic table. To produce hydroxide ions in water, the alkali breaks apart into ions
as below:
NaOH→ Na+(aq) + OHΘ(aq)
Examples of bases include sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide
(KOH), magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2).
Antacids are generally bases.
Explanation of action of neutralization of antacids :
The Lewis definition of acid-base reactions is a donation mechanism, which
conversely attributes the donation of electron pairs from bases and the acceptance
by
acids.
Ag + + 2 :NH3 → [H3N :Ag: NH3]+
(A silver cation reacts as an acid with ammonia which acts as an electron-pair
donor, forming an ammonia-silver adduct)
In reactions between Lewis acids and bases, there is the formation of an adduct
whenthe highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of a molecule, such as NH3
withavailable lone electron pair(s) donates lone pairs of electrons to the electron-
deficientmolecule's lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO)through a co-
ordinate covalent bond; in such a reaction, the HOMO-interacting molecule acts as
a base, and the LUMO-interacting molecule acts as an acid. In highly-polar
molecules, such as boron trifluoride (BF3), the most electronegative element pulls
electrons towards its own orbitals, providing a more positive charge on the less-
electronegative element and a difference in its electronic structure due to the axial
or equatorial orbiting positions of its electrons, causing repulsive
effects from lone pair-bonding pair (Lp-Bp) interactions between bonded atoms in
excess of those already provided by bonding pair-bonding pair (Bp-Bp)
interactions.

Determination of concentrations of substances in neutralization:

The experimental method about neutralization is the acid-base titration. An acid-
base titration is a method that allows quantitative analysis of the concentration of
an unknown acid or base solution. It makes use of the neutralization reaction that
occurs between acids and bases, and that we know how acids and bases will react
if we know their formula.
Before starting the titration a suitable pH indicator must be chosen. In this project,
phenolphthalein is chosen. The endpoint of the reaction, the point at which all the
reactants have reacted, will have a pH dependent on the relative strengths of the
acid and base used. The pH of the endpoint can be estimated using the following
rules:
• A strong acid will react with a strong base to form a neutral (pH=7) solution.
• A strong acid will react with a weak base to form an acidic (pH<7) solution.
• A weak acid will react with a strong base to form a basic (pH>7) solution.
Phenolphthalein is used to determine the end point of the titration which indicates
complete neutralization. In the presence of, an acid solution is colourless, a basic
solution is very dark pink, and a neutral solution is very pale pink. At this point the
solution is very slightly basic, with a negligible amount of excess NaOH. By
keeping track of exactly how much NaOH is needed to complete the neutralization
process, the amount of HCl originally neutralized by the antacid can be calculated.
The difference between the number of moles of HCl initially added to the antacid
and the number of moles of HCl neutralized by the NaOH during the titration is the
number of moles neutralized by the antacid. Several antacids will be tested and the
relative strengths of each will be compared.
Nature of phenolphthalein:
Phenolphthalein is a chemical compound with the formula C20 H14 O4. It is
insoluble in water, and is usually dissolved in alcohols for use in experiments. It is
itself a weak acid, which can lose H+ ions in solution. The phenolphthalein
molecule is colorless. However, the phenolphthalein ion is pink. When a base is
added to the phenolphthalein, the molecule⇌ ions equilibrium shifts to the right,
leading to more ionization as H+ ions are removed. This is predicted by Le
Chatelier's principle.
++++++++++++++++++++++ HYPOTHESIS++++++++++++++++++++++
+++
Our hypothesis is that the greater proportion of the active ingredient with
stronger base in an antacid tablet will have the greater neutralizing power.
And thus, it will be more effective to cure upset stomach.
 IV.MATERIALS REQUIRED
The following were the materials required for the project:
a.
Apparatus
:
1. Burette(50ml)
2. Pipette(20ml)
3. Conical Flasks(250ml)
4. Measuring Cylinder(10ml)
5. Beakers(100ml)
6. Standard Flasks(100ml)
7. Filter Paper
8. Funnel
9. Bunsen Burner

10.Weighingmachine
11.Clean&glazedwhitetile
12.GlassRod
13.Water
14.Crusher
b. Chemicals:

1. NaOH powder
2. Na2CO3powder
3. 10Mconc.HClacid
4. Four different brands of antacids
5. Phenol pthalein
6. Methyl Orange

Na2CO3Powder

NaOHPowder 10MHClSolution

Antacids Phenolpthalein Solution

 V.PROCEDURE

1. Firstprepareapproximately1litreofapproximatelyN/10solutionof
HClbydiluting10mlofthegiven10MHClacid to1litre.

Approx.1L H2 O

10ml-10MHCl 1L-0.1MHCl

2. Nextprepare1litreofapprox.N/10NaOHsolutionbydissolving4.0gof
NaOH powder to make1litreofsolution.

4.0gNaOH
Approx.1L H2 O

1L-0.1MHCl

3. Similarly prepare N/10Na2CO3 solution by weighing exactly1.325g of

anhydrous Na2CO3 and then dissolving it in water to prepare exactly 0.25L or
250ml of Na2CO3 solution.
4. Now, standardize the HCl solution by titrating it against the standard
Na2CO3 solution using methyl orange as indicator.

Burette:0.1NHCl
F la s k :
0.1NNa2CO3+ Methyl Orange

5. Similarly standardize the NaOH solution by titrating it against standardized

HCl solution using phenolopthalein as indicator .Stop the titration when the pink
color of the solution disappears.

Burette: 0.1NHCl

Flask:0.1NNaOH+
Phenolpthalien
6.Now, powder the four antacid sample sand weigh0.5g of each.

1.0g

7.Add 25ml of the standardized HCl to each of the weighed samples taken in conical
flasks .Make sure that the acid is in slight excess
So that neutral is e all the basic character of the tablet powder.

25ml0.1NHCl

8.Add a few drops of phenolphthalein indicator and warm the flask over a bunsen
burner till most of the powder dissolves.
9. Filter the insoluble material.

10.Titrate this solution against the standardized NaOH solution , till a

permanent pink colour is obtained.

11.Repeat the same experiment for all other samples too.

 VI.OBSERVATIONS

 Standardisation of HCl solution:

Volume of 0.1N Na2CO3 taken = 20 ml

Indicator used = Methyl Orange

SERIAL BURETTE READINGS VOLUME OF

No. INITIAL READING FINAL READING ACID USED
(ml)
1. 0 0 0
2. 0 0

Applying normality equation,

N1 V1 = N2 V2
(acid) (base)

N1 x 17 = 0.1 x 20
Normality of HCl, N1=

 Standardization of NaOH Solution:

Volume of the given NaOH solution taken = 20.0 ml

Indicator used = Phenolphthalein

SERIAL BURETTE READINGS VOLUME OF
No. INITIAL READING FINAL READING ACID USED
(ml)
1. 0
2.

Volume of acid used = 16 ml

Applying normality equation,

N1 V’1 = N’2 V’2
(acid) (base)
0.11 x 16 = N’2 x 20

Normality of HCl, N’2 =

 Analysis of antacid tablets:

 Weight of the antacid tablet powder = 0.5 g

 Volume of HCl solution added = 30 ml
 Volume of sample solution taken = 20 ml
for titration
ANTACID
VOLUME OF (NaOH) USED FOR
NEUTRALIZING UNUSED (HCL)

1.Eno Pineapple

2. Eno Lemon

3.Digene Lime

4.Omez

5. Pephyrous

6. Gelusil
 VII.SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Antacids play a very important role in relieving many patients suffering

from gastric hyperacidity, commonly referred to as gastritis. This project was
undertaken to analyze the best commercially available antacid according to the
amount of hydrochloric acid they could neutralize.
After exploring many books and websites to find out more about antacids,
we were clear of its role and its applications. We started our project by
powdering the various antacid samples and making sure that the apparatus were
clean. Later we standardized various solutions and prepared N/10 HCl solution
and N/10 NaOH solution. This was done by titrating various solutions and using
the respective indicators.
The powdered antacid samples weighing 1 gram each was each added to
30 ml of the standardized solution of HCl in separate conical flasks. These
solutions were later titrated with the standardized NaOH and the readings were
noted. These readings were helpful in deciding the amount of HCl that each
antacid could neutralize.
Various antacids could neutralize a specific amount of the acid.
pephyrous was the poorest among all antacids. Eno pineapple had a slightly
higher alkaline nature while Eno lemon and Omez proved to neutralize to same
amount . Gelusil had a higher concentration of the base. Digene had the highest
basic character!
Thus, on the basis of the experiment conducted, it was adjudged that
Digene was the best commercially available antacid.
 VIII.BIBLIOGRAPHY

Websites:
• http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/csustan/antacid
• http://icn2.umeche.maine.edu/genchemlabs/Antacid/antacid2.htm
• http://www.chem.latech.edu/~deddy/chem104/104Antacid.htm
• http://www.images.google.com
• http://www.wikipedia.com
• http://www.pharmaceutical-drug-manufacturers.com

Books

 Comprehensive Practical Chemistry Class XII