IChO 1977 · Theory problem 6

Determination of glycine

Amino acids can be determined by measuring the volume of nitrogen released in their reaction with nitrous acid (Van Slyke's method), for example:

Figure 1

Another method consists of the reaction of amino acids with a volumetric solution of perchloric acid, for example:

Figure 2

The excess of the perchloric acid is determined then by titration with a volumetric solution of sodium acetate (carried out in a non-aqueous solution).

50.0 cm³ of a 0.100-normal solution of perchloric acid were added to a sample of glycine in glacial acetic acid. The excess of the perchloric acid was determined after the reaction by titration with 0.150-normal volumetric solution of sodium acetate. The consumption was 16.0 cm³.

Problem:

6.1 What would be the volume of the nitrogen released at a pressure of 102 658 Pa and a temperature of 20 °C when assumed that the same quantity of sample were analysed by the Van Slyke's method?

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 6.1 The volume of nitrogen, N#N, is \(\boxed{61.7\ \mathrm{cm^3}}\) at the stated pressure and temperature.

Solution

6.1

Glycine, NCC(=O)O, consumes one mole of perchloric acid per mole, forming the glycinium ion, [NH3+]CC(=O)O:

\[ \ce{NH2CH2COOH + HClO4 -> [NH3CH2COOH]+ + ClO4-}. \]

Here perchloric acid is OCl(=O)(=O)=O, and the perchlorate ion is [O-]Cl(=O)(=O)=O.

The remaining perchloric acid reacts with sodium acetate, CC(=O)[O-].[Na+], in a 1:1 molar ratio:

\[ \ce{HClO4 + CH3COONa -> CH3COOH + NaClO4}. \]

The products are acetic acid, CC(=O)O, and sodium perchlorate, [Na+].[O-]Cl(=O)(=O)=O.

Normality gives the concentration in equivalents per litre. The amounts of acid initially added and remaining after reaction with glycine are therefore

\[ \begin{aligned} q_{\mathrm{added}} &=(0.100\ \mathrm{eq\,L^{-1}})(50.0\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm L) =5.00\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{eq},\\ q_{\mathrm{remaining}} &=(0.150\ \mathrm{eq\,L^{-1}})(16.0\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm L) =2.40\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{eq}. \end{aligned} \]

Since each mole of glycine consumes one equivalent,

\[ n_{\mathrm{glycine}} =\frac{(5.00-2.40)\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{eq}} {1\ \mathrm{eq\,mol^{-1}}} =2.60\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

In Van Slyke's method, glycine reacts with nitrous acid, ON=O, to form glycolic acid (2-hydroxyacetic acid), OCC(=O)O, nitrogen, N#N, and water, O:

\[ \ce{NH2CH2COOH + HNO2 -> HOCH2COOH + N2 + H2O}. \]

Thus, one mole of glycine releases one mole of nitrogen gas; the second nitrogen atom comes from nitrous acid:

\[ n(\ce{N2})=n_{\mathrm{glycine}}=2.60\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

Treating nitrogen as an ideal gas, with \(T=20+273.15=293.15\ \mathrm K\),

\[ \begin{aligned} V&=\frac{nRT}{p}\\ &=\frac{(2.60\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}) (8.31446\ \mathrm{Pa\,m^3\,mol^{-1}\,K^{-1}}) (293.15\ \mathrm K)} {102\,658\ \mathrm{Pa}}\\ &=6.1731\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm{m^3} =\boxed{61.7\ \mathrm{cm^3}}. \end{aligned} \]

The solution was checked against the official solution. Where this solution differs from the official solution, the official solution contains an error or a misprint.