Grade:​ 11​8

Name:​ Selena Johnson

Experiment​ #21
Date:​ March 18, 2020
Skill: ​Planning & Designing
Topic:​ Organic Chemistry
Tittle:​ Test for unsaturation
Problem Statement:​ Two brands of cooking oil are consumed by the majority in Jamaica.
Coconut oil made from coconut and vegetable oil made from vegetables. The Heart Foundation
of Jamaica wants to recommend the healthier cooking oil to the population. Plan and design an
experiment to determine which cooking oil is healthier.
Hypothesis:​ Vegetable oil contains unsaturated fats and coconut oil contains saturated fats
therefore vegetable oil is healthier to consume.
Aim:​ To determine which oil, coconut or vegetable, contains more unsaturated fats and which is
healthier to consume.
Apparatus/Materials:​ Coconut oil, vegetable oil, iodine solution, pipette, 2 beakers.
Method:​ Label each beaker A & B. Pour 30ml of vegetable oil into beaker A. Pour 30ml of
cooking oil into beaker B. Continuously add drops of iodine solution, using the pipette, to
vegetable oil in beaker A and swirl until iodine dissolves completely. Leave to settle.
Continuously add drops of iodine solution, using the pipette, to coconut oil in beamer b and swirl
until iodine dissolves completely. Leave to settle. Record observations made.
Data to be collected:
TABLE SHOWING VOLUME OF IODINE USED FOR EACH TYPE OF OIL TO TEST FOR
UNSATURATION

Beaker Type of oil Volume of iodine used

A Vegetable oil

B Coconut oil

Variables: ​Manipulating variable - Type of oil (vegetable, coconut)

Responding variable - Volume of iodine solution used
Control variable - Volume of oil (vegetable, coconut)
Expected Results:​ It is expected that less iodine solution will be used for beaker B which
contains coconut oil. Whereas, more iodine solution will be used for beaker A which contains
vegetable oil.
Interpretation of Data: ​The iodine solution will be titrated against each oil to test it's
unsaturation level. The oil that uses more iodine solution to decolorise (i.e change from the
black-blue to colorless) is the oil with the most unsaturated fat, this oil however is the vegetable
oil. The coconut oil on the other hand contains saturated fats which increases cholesterol levels
and therefore cannot be the healthier oil. Even though both solutions contain bonds, the
unsaturation of fats contains carbon-to-carbon double or triple bonds, hereby when iodine
solution reacts with the vegetable oil, it'll take a less amount as it is high in unsaturation unlike
the coconut oil.
Limitation:​ If the person controlling the pipette is nervous, the volume of iodine solution that will
be added might be more than what should be used.
Precautions:​ Ensure to accurately label beakers with it's solutions.
Ensure to cease the addition of iodine solution to oil as soon as the colour completely changes
Assumption:​ The amount of iodine solution that is added to beakers affect their level of
unsaturation. Therefore the more iodine solution added, the higher its unsaturation in fats, and
the higher its unsaturation, the healthier it is.