Thomas Xu

GA5 Iodometric Titration of Ascorbic Acid in Vitamin C Tablets

Objective: Iodometric titration will be used to determine the ascorbic acid content of Vitamin C
tablets.
Background/Pre-Calculations:
Ascorbic acid and iodine will react together as the ascorbic acid will reduce with iodine
in stoichiometric fashion that is rapid. A known amount of iodine will be weighed out and
reacted in excess with the ascorbic acid. Once the acid is finished reacting, the excess iodine will
be back titrated with thiosulfate to determine quantitatively the amount of excess iodine and thus
provide the amount of iodine that reacted with the ascorbic acid since the initial amount is
known.
Blue start color is used to indicate the end point between the titrant, thiosulfate, and
iodine as the blue color formed by the complex of iodine and -amylose in the starch will
disappear once all the excess iodine has reacted with the thiosulfate. The thiosulfate solution will
be standardized and the following equations show the reaction that occurs.
(1)
3 + 8 + 6 + 32 + 32
(2)
2 + 22 32 3 + 4 62
Materials and Chemicals

Sodium Thiosulfate
Potassium iodide
Starch indicator with HgI2
50 mL volumetric pipet
250 and 500 mL volumetric flask
Mortar and pestle

Sodium carbonate
Potassium iodate
0.50M and 0.30M sulfuric acid
Graduate cylinder
Vitamin C tablets

Experimental
Preparation of the Thiosulfate solution and Potassium iodate solution
1. Boil two 500 mL beakers with 200 mL of DI water and then cool to room temperature
when finished
2. Weight out 6.20 g solid sodium thiosulfate and 0.025 g of sodium carbonate and add both
to a 250 volumetric flask and dissolve with the freshly boiled water (~0.100 M final)
3. Weigh out about 1.3900 g of primary standard potassium iodate and dissolve in a 500 mL
volumetric flask (~0.01300M final).
Standardization of the Thiosulfate solutions

1. Pipet 50.00 mL of the KLO3 solution into a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask and add
approximately 2.0 g of KI and 10 mL of 0.50 sulfuric acid.
2. Swirl and immediately titrate with the thiosulfate solution until it loses color.
3. Then add 2 mL of the starch indicator and complete titration until blue color disappears.
4. Calculate normality of the thiosulfate solution (MW=158.11 Na2S2O3 and MW= 214.00 g
KIO3)
Analysis of ascorbic acid in the Vitamin C Tablets
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Crush tablet into powder and weight out 0.2000 g of the powder
Add to flask and also add 60 mL of 0.3 M sulfuric acid and add 2.0 g KI.
Add 50.00 mL of the standard KIO3 solution
Titrate with thiosulfate as before
Add 2 mL starch only until solution turns light yellow.
Repeat 3x (MW=176.12 ascorbic acid)

Critical Steps:
I.
II.

Iodine may also be oxidized in the presence of air, so titrations should be done rapidly to
minimize the confounding effects of the air oxidation
Do not add starch indicator until thiosulfate reacts completely

Safety:
I.

Acids and bases should be handled appropriately.