Abstract:-

• To study and calculate the content of

ascorbic acid in different citrus fruits.
 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 synthesize vitamin
C, it is necessary in the diet of some including men
and other primates
• n 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.
 Ascorbic acid structure:-
  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.

 Structure of C6H8O6:-
 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.
• 1,3-Diketones are also called β-diketones.
 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.
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.
 Requirements:-
 Water
 Spirit
 Starch
 Iodine(solid)
 Lemon Juice
 Orange Juice
 Citrus Maxima Juice
 Burette
 Pipette
 Conical flask
 Standard flask
 Bunsen’s 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%
 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