Edexcel GCE Biology AS Unit 3 !

!You can measure the amount of vitamin C in you food You need to be able to describe how to carry out an experiment to find (1 .out how much vitamin C is in a food sample This can be done using a chemical called DCPIP a blue dye that turns (2 .colorless in the presence of vitamin C :Here's how you do it :First you need to make a calibration curve. To do this you need to Make up several vitamin C solutions of different known (1 concentrations, (e.g. 10 mg/cm, 20 mg/cm, 30 mg/cm). Ideally, you .need about six different solutions Measure out a set volume of DCPIP (at a set concentration) into a test (2 .tube Add one of the vitamin C solutions to the DCPIP, drop by drop, using a (3 .pipette Gently shake the test tube for a set length of time after each drop of (4 .vitamin C solution is added When the solution turns colorless, record the volume (no. of drops) of (5 .vitamin C solution is added Repeat the experiment twice more, with the same solution, and take an (6 .average of the three readings Make sure you will keep all the other variables constant during the (7 .experiment, e.g. temperature .Repeat the above procedure with each solution (8 Use the results to make a line graph, showing volume of vitamin C (9 .solution against its concentration this is the calibration curve Then you can test the unknown solution in the same way as the known concentrations and use the calibration curve to find its concentration.

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Edexcel GCE Biology AS Unit 3 E.g. 10 drops of an unknown solution is needed to turn DCPIP colorless. Reading across the calibration curve from a volume of 10 drops shows that the concentration of vitamin C in the unknown solution is 0.5 .mg/cm

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