Pharmaceutical Chemistry Laboratory Course EXPERIMENT 2 : Determination of Vitamin Content in Sample Tablets by Titration

Introduction
Thiamine is synthesized by bacteria fungi and plants but not by mammals. Insufficient intake from foods may result in a beriberi (polyneuritis) or deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant protecting mammals from oxidative stress. It is also not made by human metabolic pathways and must be sourced from foods. Deficiency of vitamin C causes scurvy. Both thiamine and Vitamin C may be determined by titration with a suitable base and in this experiment standardized sodium hydroxide will be used. PART A: Standardization of NaOH Procedure: Prepare two accurately weighed 0.6 g samples(by difference) of potassium hydrogen phthalate, KHC8H4O4 (KHP) by placing them in separate, labeled, clean, 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks. Dissolve each sample of KHP in approximately 50 ml of distilled water. Rinse the burette to be used for titration twice with 10 ml portions of the sodium hydroxide solution and then fill the burette following the usual procedures for eliminating air bubbles and setting the initial level. Add 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator and titrate until the first persistent pale pink colour is observed. Repeat the titration using the second sample of KHP. Compare your results. If the molarities of the NaOH solution obtained from the two standardization trials do not agree within 0.5 percent, run a third trial. Record your results in tabular form.

PART B: Determination of Thiamine Content of Tablets Crush two vitamin B1 tablets with a stirring rod and weigh approximately equal portions of powder accurately (by difference) into separate 250 ml conical flasks. Add 25 ml distilled water, and shake to disperse/dissolve the powder. Allow the mixtures to stand for 15 minutes. To each solution, add six drops bromothymol blue indicator and titrate with standardized sodium hydroxide noting a yellow to blue-green colour change at the end point. 1 mole thiamine hydrochloride = 1 mole NaOH PART B: Determination of Vitamin C Content of Tablets The procedure for Vitamin C is the same except that 75ml of water is added to the powder and phenolphthalein indicator(3 drops) is used.

Questions

1. Calculate the amount of ascorbic acid/thiamine in each portion of the tablets and the percentage composition by mass. Report also the averages for each type of vitamin tablet. 2. Vitmain B1 is most commonly available as a monohydrochloride salt. What are the benefits of this formulation? 3. What is the correct streoisomer label for the ascorbic acid as shown? 4. Describe all the underlined terms of the introduction above.