Dichlorophenolindophenol reduced and becomes colorless, the resultant increase in light transmittance can be measured using a spectrophotometer. DCPIP can also be used as an indicator for vitamin C. If vitamin C, which is a good reducing agent, is present, the blue dye, which turns pink in acid conditions, is reduced to a colorless compound by ascorbic acid. This reaction is a redox reaction: vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid, and DCPIP is reduced to the colorless compound DCPIPH In this titration, when all the ascorbic acid in the solution has been used up, there will not be any
Chemistry of ascorbic acid titration with an oxidizing agent, and several procedures have been developed. The popular iodometry approach uses iodine in the presence of a starch indicator. Iodine is reduced by ascorbic acid, and, when all the ascorbic acid has reacted, the iodine is then in excess, forming a blue-black complex with the starch indicator. This indicates the end-point of the titration. As an alternative, ascorbic acid can be treated with iodine in excess, followed by back titration with sodium thiosulfate using starch as an indicator. This iodometric method has been revised to exploit reaction of ascorbic acid with iodate and iodide in