JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA,

KOTTAYAM

TOPIC: COMPARISON OF CITRIC ACID

CONCENTRATION IN 3 DIFFERENT FRUIT
SAMPLES

SUBMITTED TO,
SUBMITTED BY,
ASHITHA A. A.
SHONE SAJU
PGT CHEMISTRY,
XII A
JNV KOTTAYAM
JNV KOTTAYAM
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the investigatory

project titled “Comparison of citric acid
concentration in 3 different fruit samples”
has been carried out by Shone Saju of Class
XII under my guidance and supervision. The
project is an authentic work carried out by
him during the academic year 2024-25 in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for
CBSE examination of Class XII.

Signature of
Signature of
Internal Examiner
External examiner
 Signature of Principal

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deepest

gratitude to the Almighty God for blessing
me with the strength, patience, and
wisdom to complete this project.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to the
Principal, Mr. Sunil Kumar Nallath for
providing the facilities and support
necessary for this project.
I am sincerely grateful to my teacher,
Ashitha A. A., PGT Chemistry & Mr. Remesh
Kumar, lab assistant for their invaluable
guidance, encouragement, and support
throughout this endeavor. This project
would not have been possible without their
expert advice and constant supervision.

INDEX
 AIM
 THEORY
 INTRODUCTION
 EXPERIMENTS
 PRECAUTIONS
 SOURCE OF ERROR
 CONCLUSION
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 AIM

To quantitatively analyse and compare the

citric acid concentration in lemon, orange,
and pomelo fruits using titration, and to
arrange these fruits in decreasing order of
their citric acid content.

THEORY

Quantitative analysis refers to the process

of determining the amount or concentration
of a substance in a sample. For citric acid
analysis in fruits, this is typically done using
acid-base titration. This method provides
precise measurements of citric acid
concentration by neutralizing the acid with
a base (NaOH) and using an indicator
(phenolphthalein) to determine the
endpoint. The sample of fruit juice, in
drops, is added to NaOH with the pink
colour of phenolphthalein, with a known
concentration and volume. This is done
until the pink colour disappears, and the
volume used is measured for determining
the concentration of citric acid in the fruit
sample.
 INTRODUCTION

What is citric acid?

Citric acid is a weak organic acid commonly
found in citrus fruits, such as lemons,
oranges, and limes, giving them their
characteristic tangy flavour. It plays a
crucial role in the citric acid cycle (Krebs
cycle), which is essential for cellular
respiration in all aerobic organisms. Besides
its biological importance, citric acid is
widely used in the food and beverage
industry as a natural preservative and
flavouring agent.

About the fruits

Lemon is a small evergreen tree in the
Citrus genus, native to Asia and a hybrid of
citron and bitter orange.
Orange is a sweet citrus fruit in the Citrus
genus, originating from Asia and is a hybrid
of pomelo and mandarin orange.
Pomelo is the largest citrus fruit and an
ancestor of bitter orange and grapefruit.
 EXPERIMENTS

Experiment 1-(A): Preparation of non-standard

0.1M NaOH solution

AIM: Preparation of a non-standard

solution of NaOH of approximate molarity of
0.1 M for titration against juice samples.

PROCEDURE: 2 grams of NaOH pellets are

weighed with the help of an electronic
balance. They are dissolved in a small
amount of distilled water taken in a 500mL
measuring cylinder with the help of a glass
rod. Distilled water is added till the 500 mL
mark in the measuring cylinder.
Molecular mass of NaOH = 40 g
Grams in 500mL of 0.1 M solution = 2 g

RESULT: An approximate 0.1 M solution of

NaOH is prepared.
Experiment 1-(B): Standardization of NaOH
solution

AIM: To standardize the prepared NaOH

solution by titrating it against 0.1 M
solution of oxalic acid

PROCEDURE:
• First prepare 0.1 M oxalic acid.
• Weigh 3.15 g of oxalic acid with the help
of an electronic balance.
• Transfer the oxalic acid to the 250 mL
measuring cylinder and dissolve in small
amount of distilled water.
• Fill the measuring cylinder till the
required 250 mL mark.
• Titrate this solution with the one
obtained in Experiment 1-(A).

OBSERVATION:
H2C2O4 + 2NaOH→ Na2C2O4 + 2H2O
Molarity of oxalic acid, M1 = 0.1 M
Volume of oxalic acid, V1 = 250 mL
Volume of NaOH, V2 = 20.6 mL
No. of moles of oxalic acid, n 1 = 1 and
NaOH, n2 = 2
As per the relation M1V1/n1 = M2V2/n2,
 M2 = M1V1n2/V2n1
 M2 = 2.427 M

RESULT: The molarity of the NaOH solution

is 2.427M.
Experiment 2: Finding concentration of citric acid
in fruit samples

AIM: To find the concentrations of citric

acid by volume in three different samples
of fruit juice.
PROCEDURE:
1. Rinse all the apparatus and dry them
before use
2. Take a conical flask and pour the juice
sample into the burette till the 0 mL
mark.
3. With the help of a pipette, pour 10 mL of
the M NaOH solution into a beaker.
4. Note down the initial readings of the
burette.
5. Now add a few drops of phenolphthalein
indicator to the NaOH solution in the
beaker
6. Release the burette knob and let the
juice sample fall into the beaker without
touching the beaker walls.
7. Perform this procedure until the color of
the titrating substance changes from
light pink to transparent.
8. Close the knob and note the endpoint in
the burette.
9. Perform this experiment with 3 readings
for accuracy.
10. Using formula M1V1/n1 = M2V2/n2, we
can find the molarity of citric acid in the
juice sample.

OBSERVATION:
Molarity of NaOH, M1 = 2.427 M
Volume of NaOH, V1 = 10 mL
We have to find M2 i.e molarity of citric
acid.
 For lemon juice, V2 = 1.2 mL -> M2 =
6.94 M
 For pomelo juice V2 = 10 mL -> M2 =
0.83 M
 For orange juice, V2 = 19 mL -> M2 =
0.44 M
RESULT: Lemon has the highest
concentration of citric acid, followed by
pomelo and orange.
 PRECAUTIONS

1. Ensure that all volumes of solutions are

measured accurately using appropriate
equipment (e.g., burettes, pipettes,
measuring cylinders).
2. Rinse all apparatus with distilled water
before use to avoid contamination.
3. Carefully observe the color change at
the endpoint.
4. Add the NaOH solution from the burette
slowly and steadily to avoid overshooting
the endpoint.
5. Perform multiple titrations (at least
three) to ensure reproducibility and
accuracy of results.

SOURCE OF ERROR

1. Misreading the meniscus level in

burettes or measuring cylinders can lead to
inaccurate measurements.
2. Changes in temperature can affect the
titration results.
3. Improper cleaning can introduce
contaminants, affecting the results.
4. Delay in observing the color change can
lead to resulting in higher volume readings
of NaOH.
 CONCLUSION

By conducting the quantitative analysis of

concentration of citric acid in samples of
lemon, pomelo and orange, we can
conclude that lemon has the highest
concentration of citric acid in the given
fruits.
Order of citric acid concentration: lemon >
pomelo > orange
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 www.google.com
 www.wikipedia.org
 Comprehensive practical chemistry
class XII