Ascorbic Acid Test Kit

The HI3850 is an iodometric chemical test kit that determines the concentration of ascorbic acid from the number of drops of reagent necessary to cause a specific color change in the sample. The HI3850 is supplied with all of the necessary reagents and equipment to perform the analysis. The test kit contains enough reagents for perform approximately 100 tests.

Features at-a-glance

Complete setup

• All required materials are included with the test kit, such as the reagent bottles, plastic pipettes, and plastic vessels.

Iodometric method

• The concentration of ascorbic acid in a sample is easily calculated from the number of drops of reagent HI3850C-0 used.

Replacement reagents available

• There is no need to buy a new kit when reagents are exhausted. The HI3850-100 reagent set can be ordered to replace the reagents supplied with the kit. This set comes with 1 (100 mL) bottle HI3850A-0 ascorbic acid reagent A, 1 (25mL) dropper bottle Starch Indicator, and 1 (100 mL) bottle HI3850C-0 ascorbic acid reagent C.

Significance of Use

Ascorbic acid and its sodium, potassium, and calcium salts are commonly used as antioxidant food additives.

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is added as a flavoring and preservative agent to juice-based beverages. This kit is especially designed for the determination of the content of Vitamin C in beverages. It is based on a drop-count titration and is practical also with intensively colored samples.

The National Academy of Sciences recommends the consumption of 60 mg of ascorbic acid per day. Vitamin C deficiency, which typically causes abnormalities in bones and teeth, was first characterized by sailors in the 18th century. These abnormalities were eliminated by compelling sailors to eat limes, a source of vitamin c. Many vegetables also contain large quantities of vitamin C, but ascorbic acid is commonly destroyed by many cooking processes, and hence citrus fruits are regarded as the most reliable source of vitamin C.