1.

Vitamin C laboratory report

Practical write up

This short laboratory practical (of 1000 words max.) will be written up as a scientific
report. The structure and marking scheme will be as follow:

Introduction 20%
Materials and methods 15%
Result 25%
Discussion 25%
Conclusion 5%
Presentation 10%

Practical schedule

AIMS: To carry out the quantitative determination of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in a

fruit juice using the DCPIP titrimetric method.

KEY FACTS: The dye DCPIP can exist in two forms, oxidised and reduced. The
oxidised form is purple and the reduced form is colourless. L-ascorbic acid is a
reducing agent and can therefore be determined by titration with a solution of DCPIP
in its oxidised form.

INTRODUCTION

This is a sensitive method for the determination of vitamin C (as L-ascorbic acid) in
light coloured juices. The L-ascorbic acid is first stabilised with metaphosphoric acid
and then titrated with the redox dye DCPIP (2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol).

DCPIP is purple in its oxidised form and colourless in its reduced form. L-ascorbic
acid is oxidised to dehydro-L-ascorbic acid in the reaction.

The reaction scheme is:

L-ascorbic acid + DCPIP(oxidised) -- dehydro-L-ascorbic acid + DCPIP(reduced)

The solution of DCPIP needs to be standardised with a known amount of L-ascorbic

acid first.

METHOD

You are provided with the following reagents:

20 % m/v metaphosphoric acid

Standard DCPIP solution

0.05 g DCPIP dissolved in distilled water, made to 100 cm 3 and filtered.

Standard L-ascorbic acid solution (0.2 mg cm- 3)

0.050 g L-ascorbic acid dissolved in 60 cm3 of 20 % metaphosphoric acid
 and diluted to 250 cm3 with distilled water.

1. Standardisation of the DCPIP solution with L-ascorbic acid.

Pipette 10 cm3 of the standard L-ascorbic acid solution into a conical flask and titrate
with the DCPIP solution from a burette. Use a white tile under the conical flask. The
end point of the titration is when a pink colour persists for 15 seconds.

Repeat the titration until you get reproducible titration data.

Calculate the milligrams of L-ascorbic acid equivalent to 1 cm 3 of the dye solution.

2. Make a solution of the fruit juice as follows:

Pipette 50 cm3 of the unconcentrated juice into a 100 cm3 volumetric flask, add 25
cm3 of 20% m/v metaphosphoric acid and make to the mark with water.

3. Pipette a 10 cm3 aliquot of the prepared sample solution into a conical flask and
titrate with the DCPIP solution until a faint pink colour persists for 15 seconds.

Repeat the titration until you get reproducible results.

LAB RESULTS AND POST -LAB WORKSHEET

1. Titration data for the standardisation of DCPIP with 10 cm 3 L-ascorbic acid.

Initial burette reading Final burette Volume Used

(cm3) readinq (cm3) (cm3)

Rough 2.3 10.1 7.8

Titration

First 10.1 17.2 7.1

Accurate
Titration

Second 17.2 24.7 7.5

Accurate
Titration

Average volume of DCPIP used= 7.5 cm3

10 cm3 standard L-ascorbic acid solution = 2 mg L-ascorbic acid

1 cm3 DCPIP = _0.3___ mg L-ascorbic acid

2. Titration data for 10 cm3 of sample filtrate with DCPIP.

 Initial burette reading Final burette Volume Used
(cm3) readinq (cm3) (cm3)

Rough 24.7 31.7 7.0

Titration

First 31.7 38.5 6.8

Accurate
Titration

Second 38.5 45.5 7.0

Accurate
Titration

Average volume of DCPIP used= ___6.9___ cm3

= __2.07____ mg L-ascorbic acid

Therefore: 10 cm3 sample filtrate contains _____2.07_ mg L-ascorbic acid

Therefore: 100 cm3 of sample filtrate contains __20.7___ mg L-ascorbic acid

100 cm3 of sample solution contains 50 cm3 fruit juice. All of the L-ascorbic acid in
the sample solution has come from the 50 cm3 fruit juice used to prepare the sample
solution.

Therefore 50 cm3 fruit juice contains ___20.7___ mg L-ascorbic acid

L-ascorbic acid concentration of juice = ----41.4 -mg/100 cm 3

3. State the concentration of L-ascorbic acid of the juice specified on the label of
the carton.

20mg/100 cm3

4. Sources of error.

What are the sources of error in this experiment? Did you have any problems with
the end point? How accurate is the glassware?

Did the label of the juice carton give a value for vitamin C? How do your results
compare?

Comment on the accuracy and the precision in this experiment.

FORMAT AND MARKING SCHEME FOR LABORATORY REPORT

Your report should follow the same style as that of scientific papers. Each section is
listed below, together with the mark distribution.
Reports should be written in the past tense and in the passive mode e.g. 'The acid
was poured into the flask' and not 'I poured acid in my flask'.

a) Introduction 20% of marks

This section should explain the scope of the technique and its use in the context of
the exercise. You should write this section before carrying out the experiment. This
section justifies the method used.
Why is this particular method suitable for the identified problem? What properties of
the analyte make it possible for you to quantitatively determine it by this method?
State the aims of the experiment in the introduction.

b) Experimentation 15% of marks

This section should state clearly and logically what you actually did, together with
any problems that you had. Using this section alone, it should be possible for
another person to repeat your procedures exactly. You should plan how you are
going to carry out the experiment before you come to the lab. Do not copy out the
standard procedure. This is supplied for guidance and will not be exactly the same
as what you do. Don't forget to include any safety considerations.

c) Results 25% of marks

This section should include all of your observed results and all of the calculated data.
You should tabulate the results wherever possible. All tables and figures must be
given a title.

d) Discussion 25% of marks

You should use this section to evaluate the procedures carried out and to comment
on the data obtained. You should comment on the accuracy and the precision of the
results and on how both could be improved. Where problems have been
encountered, you should comment on how they may have affected the results and
how they might be minimised.
~
e) Conclusions 5% of marks
You should use this section to list the conclusions that you have drawn as a result of
your discussion. Refer back to the aims of the experiment. Have the aims been met?
State the results and conclusions for each aim.

The remaining 10% of the marks will be awarded for presentation. For example:
Tables should be clearly labelled. You should spell correctly and your report should
be neat and clearly and concisely written.
Use the Harvard referencing system.

Feedback analysis: tutor

High Medm Low

Content
Systematic description of food properties
Physico-chemical basis for the given
properties
Parameters in the manufacturing process
that have been important in leading to the
properties
Analysis of the importance of these
properties for the food manufacturer and
for the end consumer
References
Conclusion
Presentation
Slide design ; content ; use of graphics
Vocal presentation, voice projection
Confidence; subject knowledge