Sodium hypochlorite as volumetric reagent

Summary

Sodium hypochlorite solution has been used as an oxidising agent for the volumetric determination of semicarbazide hydrochloride, phenylhydrazine hydrochloride, benzalazine, benzalsemicarbazone, o-chlorobenzalsemicarbazone, acetonesemicarbazone, aminoguanidine hydrochloride, thiosemicarbazide, o-hydroxy benzalsemicarbazone, 3,4-methylenedioxy benzalsemicarbazone and p-methoxy benzalsemicarbazone, using iodine monochloride as catalyst and preoxidizer. During these titrations normality of the solution with respect to hydrochloric acid has been kept between 2.0 N and 3.5 N. Chloroform is used as an indicator. It is coloured pink due to the liberation of iodine during the titration and becomes very pale yellow at the end-point owing to the formation of iodine monochloride. Each hydrazino group in these compounds is oxidised quantitatively with a four-electron change to nitrogen with sodium hypochlorite as an oxidant in hydrochloric acid solution.