How does DCPIP work?

Please print this page before reading it. You need to read it while watching the animations. Indicators Indicators are substances that can be used to indicate the presence of certain substances. In the previous chapter we discussed iodine, Benedicts solution and the Biuret test (cupper sulphate and sodium hydroxide . In the chapter on respiration and breathing youll learn about another indicator called lime water, a substance used to indicate carbon dioxide. In the !ure"a #ab assignment youll be using another one called $%PIP. In this story Ill show you how $%PIP wor"s. Instead of turning blue, red or purple, $%PIP looses its colour. Iodine #ets ta"e a loo" at a normal indicator, lets say iodine. - Open the animation iodine and starch. Press play to start. &he animation starts with a number of white circles. &hese circles represent starch particles of a solution in test tube. &o this solution iodine is added. &he yellow circles coming down represent the mixing of these two solutions. &he iodine combines with starch and together they turn purple. &he test tube on the left contained little starch and therefore turns light blue. &he test tube on the right contained more starch and turned dar" blue. DCPIP - Open the animation how does DCPIP work?. You can see two test tubes, filled with $%PIP. $%PIP is a blue coloured substance (the blue circles . 'ne droplet of vitamin % is added to the test tube with $%PIP. - Press play. (hen a vitamin % particle comes into contact with a $%PIP particle, the $%PIP looses its colour. )ot all particles in the solution loose their colour. *dd another droplet. + Press play again. *ll $%PIP particles are decolourised now, the solution turns transparent.

(hen indicator $%PIP looses its colour, vitamin % is present.

Calculating the vitamin C concentration -ow can this test be used to determine the vitamin % concentration. - Open the animation DCPIP and itamin C. &here are two test tubes with $%PIP (* and B . - Press play. $roplets is added to both test tubes. &est tube *, a droplet of a "nown vitamin % solution. &est tube B, a droplet of an un"nown solution. .ome decolourisation ta"es place. - Press play. * second droplet is added. $%PIP solution * is decolourised entirely. &est tube B is not decolourised yet. - Press play. * third droplet is added. $%PIP solution B looses its colour as well. (hat does this mean/ &he vitamin % concentration of solution B is lower than that of solution *. &he number of vitamin % particles needed for decolourisation is present in two droplet in solution *. &he same number of particles is present in three droplets of solution B. &hat is less particles per droplet ... &herefore, the concentration in solution B is lower than in solution *. -ow much lower/ .olution *, 0 droplets. .olution B, 1 droplets. &he vitamin % concentration of solution B is 021 of that of solution *.