BROMINE WATER TEST

By: Anne Marielle D. Manalo

Objective:
To test for the presence
of unsaturation in a fatty
acid or a triglyceride.

Results:
Sample

Result

Vegetable Oil

Colorless

Lecithin

Colorless

Principle:
The presence of unsaturation
in a fatty acid or a triacylglycerol
can be detected by reaction with
bromine. If the orange color of a
bromine solution added to a lipid
fades
quickly,
an
addition
reaction has occurred and the oil
or fat is unsaturated.

Type Equation Used:

Sample Equation Involved:

Vegetable Oil:

+
(orange)
Br
2
(colorless)

Sample Equation Involved:

Lecithin:

+
(orange)
Br
2

(colorless)

Explanation of Results:
Why does vegetable oil showed
positive results?
Vegetable oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant
and is liquid in room temperature. It contains double
carbon-carbon bonds making it unsaturated. Bromine
readily add up at the double bonds, and a colored
solution of bromine when absorbed and decolorized in
the presence of a lipid, indicates the presence of
double bond. The more double bonds there are, the

Explanation of Results:
Why does lecithin showed
positive
Lecithinis aresults?
generic term to designate any group
of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in
animal and plant tissues. Bromine readily add up at
the double bond of the unsaturated fatty acid, and a
colored solution of bromine when absorbed and
decolorized in the presence of a lipid, indicates the
presence of double bond.

ACROLEIN TEST

Objective:
To test for the
presence of glycerol.

Procedure:
1. Prepare 3 clean and dry test
tubes

1st test
tube: Add a
drop of
glycerol.

2nd test
tube: Add a
drop of
cooking oil

3rd test tube:

Add a drop of
lecithin from
the soft gel
capsule.

Procedure:
2. Mix a pinch-sized amount of
powdered potassium bisulfate
to all the tubes.

Procedure:
3. Heat the mixture gently over a small
flame. Note the odor of the vapor and
record observations.

Results:

SAMPLE

ODOR

Glycerol

Burnt smell

Cooking oil

Burnt smell

Lecithin

Burnt smell

Principle:
When a fat is heated strongly in
the presence of a dehydrating agent
such as potassium bisulfate (KHSO),
the glycerol portion of the molecule
is
dehydrated
to
form
the
unsaturated aldehyde, acrolein
(CH2=CHCHO), which has the
peculiar odor of burnt grease.

Sample Equation Involved:

a. Glycerol and Potassium bisulfate

Sample Equations Involved:

b. Vegetable oil and Potassium bisulfate
H+
+ 3H2O

KHSO
4

glycerol

Sample Equation Involved:

c. Lecithin and Potassium bisulfate

What is the compound

responsible for your
observation?
The heat-induced
dehydration

of
glycerol is the one responsible for the
release of acrolein.
Acrolein
is
the
compound
responsible for the burnt smell.

What is the purpose of the

potassium bisulfate used?
When lipids are heated in the presence of a
dehydrating

agent

such

as

potassium

bisulfate (KHSO4), the glycerol portion of the

molecule

is

dehydrated

to

unsaturated aldehyde, acrolein.

form

the

What group of lipids was identified

by this test?

Glycerides was the group of

lipids identified by this test.