D.A.

V SR SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

TOPIC

QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF COCUNUT WATER

Name : HARINI.S
Roll Number :
Standard : XII “B” SEC
School : DAV Senior Secondary School.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I do hereby declare that this project is my original work and I would like
to sincerely express my gratitude to Mrs. N LAXMI mam, my Chemistry
teacher for her wholehearted support and guidance. Her suggestions
and cooperation made it possible to complete this project in time. I
would like to thank the school for giving us this opportunity to widen
our knowledge.

I would also like to thank our Principal Mrs. Uma Parvathy who have
given us the golden opportunity to do this project which also helped
us doing a lot of research and we came to know about many new
things.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 4

1.1 Coconut tree ......................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Coconut ................................................................................................................................. 5
1.3 Coconut water ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.0 Coconut uses ............................................................................................................................ 6
2.1 As a religious symbol ............................................................................................................ 6
2.2 As a natural beverage ........................................................................................................... 6
2.3 As medicine ........................................................................................................................... 6
2.4 As a biocatalyst ..................................................................................................................... 6
3.0 FORMATION OF COCONUT WATER ......................................................................................... 7
3.1 Mineral composition of mature coconut water ................................................................. 8
3.2 BENEFITS OF DRINKING COCUNUT WATER ........................................................................ 8
4.0 AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT ........................................................................................................ 8
5.0 CHEMICALS REQUIRED ............................................................................................................. 8
6.0 MATERIALS REQUIRED ............................................................................................................. 9
7.0 PROCEDURE, EXPERIMENT, INFERENCE ............................................................................. 9
7.1 TEST FOR CATIONS ................................................................................................................ 9
7.2 TEST FOR ANIONS ................................................................................................................. 9
7.3 TEST FOR FUNCTIONAL GROUPS ........................................................................................ 10
8.0 RESULT .................................................................................................................................... 10
9.0 PRECAUTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 10
10.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................... 11

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Coconut tree

The Coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the
only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer
to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. The
name comes from the old Portuguese word coco, meaning "head" or "skull", after the three
indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. They are ubiquitous in coastal
tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics.

The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among
many other uses. The inner flesh of the mature seed, as well as the coconut milk extracted from
it, form a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are
distinct from other fruits because their endosperm contains a large quantity of clear liquid,
called coconut water or coconut juice.

Mature, ripe coconuts can be used as edible seeds, or processed for oil and plant milk from the
flesh, charcoal from the hard shell, and coir from the fibrous husk.
Dried coconut flesh is called copra, and the oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in
cooking
made – frying in particular – as well as in soaps and cosmetics. Sweet coconut sap can be
into drinks or fermented into palm wine or coconut vinegar. The hard shells, fibrous husks and
long pinnate leaves can be used as material to make a variety of products for furnishing and
decoration

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1.2 Coconut

The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropics for decoration, as well as for its many
culinary and nonculinary uses; virtually every part of the coconut palm can be used by humans
in some manner and has significant economic value. Coconuts' versatility is sometimes noted in
its naming. In Sanskrit, it is kalpa vriksha ("the tree which provides all the necessities of life"). In
the Malay language, it is pokok seribu guna ("the tree of a thousand uses"). In the Philippines,
the coconut is commonly called the "tree of life".

1.3 Coconut water

Coconut water is a natural, fat-free drink. Low in sugars and calories, it is rich in essential
electrolytes and vitamins. Dubbed the “fluid of life”, coconut is safe for everyone to drink fresh
from the nut. As the Hawaiians say, coconut water is “dew from the heavens”.

Coconut water serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during its nuclear phase
of development. Later, the endosperm matures and deposits onto the coconut rind during the
cellular phase.It is consumed throughout the humid tropics, and has been introduced into the
retail market as a processed sports drink.
Mature fruits have significantly less liquid than young, immature coconuts, barring spoilage.
Coconut water can be fermented to produce coconut vinegar. Coconut water can be drunk fresh
or used in cooking as in binakol.

Once the coconut is opened, coconut water begins to lose its nutrients and flavours. This is partly
due to naturally occurring enzymes found in coconut water. When peroxidase (POD) and
polyphenol oxidase (PPO) come into contact with oxygen, reactions cause nutritional and flavour
losses.

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2.0 Coconut uses
Some of the uses of coconut are given below:

2.1 As a religious symbol

As it is a sterile and pure liquid, coconut water has been a religious symbol for a long time. In
Asia, and especially in India, tender, i.e., immature, coconuts are offered as ceremonial gifts
and serve as purification media at traditional events.

2.2 As a natural beverage

Centuries ago, Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian mariners used coconut fruits as
reserves of food and drink. Thanks to this “naturally canned” beverage, they survived on their
journeys from one island to the next and colonised the entire Pacific Ocean. Nowadays, coconut
water from immature nuts is still consumed as a refreshing drink by thousands of inhabitants of
tropical regions.

2.3 As medicine

Apart from its consumption as a natural drink, one of the most important uses of coconut water
is medicinal. In the Indian ayurvedic medicine, it is described as “unctuous, sweet, promoting
digestion and clearing the urinary path”. There are numerous references to medicinal uses of
coconut in Sri Lanka, a country where coconut is consumed on a daily basis. Out of the 40 raw or
processed parts of the coconut plant cited by Ediriweera, five involve coconut water.

Coconut water is traditionally prescribed for burning pain during urination, dysuria, gastritis,
burning pain of the eyes, indigestion, hiccups or even expelling of retained placenta. In case of
emergency in remote regions of the world and during World War II, coconut water was used as
a short-term intravenous hydration and resuscitation fluid.

2.4 As a biocatalyst

Coconut water appears to be able to support the synthesis of proteins from recombinant DNA
vectors. Filtered coconut water from young Brazilian coconuts displayed high reductase activity
at ambient temperature in a series of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and ketones, suggesting
that coconut water is probably still under-used in the organic synthesis research field.

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3.0 FORMATION OF COCONUT WATER

Coconut Water is formed as a result of Double Fertilization in plants. In the process of double
fertilization, two male gametes are released into the female gametophyte. Out of two, one
male gamete (n) fuses with the egg cell (n), resulting in the formation of a diploid zygote (2n).
The other male gamete (n) fuses with the two haploid polar nuclei and results in the
formation of a triploid endosperm (3n). Because it involves the fusion of 3 haploid nuclei, it is
also called Triple Fusion.

Triple Fusion leads to the formation of the Primary Endosperm Nucleus (PEN). This primary
endosperm nucleus undergoes free-nuclear division i.e. Karyokinesis which is not followed by
cytokinesis. This leads to the formation of the liquid endosperm.

In Coconut, coconut water is the liquid endosperm formed as a result of triple fusion and free-
nuclear division in the plant. This is highly rich in nutrients. Endosperm also nourishes the
growing embryo in the plant. As the plant grows, cell wall formation takes place on the
periphery forming the white flesh known as Coconut Meat. Some of the liquid endosperms still
remain in the centre.

The coconut water is extracted from the young, green coconuts at a tender age when cell wall
formation is not prominent.

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3.1 Mineral composition of mature coconut water

Mineral composition of mature coconut water, according to different authors presented in the
reference list.

K Cl S Ca Na Mg P Mn Al Zn Fe Cu Reference
mg·100 mL–1 μg·100 mL–1
356 - - 46.0 31.0 14.0 - - - 0.03 - 29.3 1
255 - 4 31.3 15.9 9.3 12.6 0.08 0.06 0.02 16 26.0 2

3.2 BENEFITS OF DRINKING COCUNUT WATER

1. Good source of several nutrients

2. Contains antioxidant properties
3. May help lower blood sugar for people living with diabetes
4. May help prevent kidney stones.
5. Drinking coconut water may help reduce heart disease risk
6. Coconut water may be the perfect beverage for restoring hydration and replenishing
electrolytes lost during exercise.

4.0 AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT

• Qualitative analysis of coconut water

• To analyse the mineral contents of coconut water

5.0 CHEMICALS REQUIRED

1. Potassium sulphate
2. Hydrochloric acid
3. Sodium hydroxide
4. Benzene sulphonyl chloride
5. Glacial acetic acid
6. Cerric Ammonium Nitrate 7.
Sulphuric acid
8. Absolute alcohol
9. Sodium bicarbonate
10. Barium chloride

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6.0 MATERIALS REQUIRED

1. Test tube stand

2. Water Bath
3. Wire Gauze
4. China Dish
5. Tripod stand
6. pH paper
7. Bunsen burner

7.0 PROCEDURE, EXPERIMENT, INFERENCE

7.1 TEST FOR CATIONS

S.No Experiment Observations Inference

1. Coconut water + Picric acid Yellow colour K+ present
Coconut water is introduced White precipitate brick red and into
2. flame using Pt wire golden flame Ca, N present
Coconut water + NaOH3
3. White precipitate Mg present
solution + H2S gas
4. Coconut water + Na2HO O4 sol Zn present
White precipitate
+ NH4 in excess

7.2 TEST FOR ANIONS

S.No Experiment Observations Inference

Coconut water + pinch of
1. Ammonium Molybdate Yellow crystalline precipitate P04 present
(NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄
Coconut water + water + lead White precipitate insoluble in
2. acetate Pb(C₂H₃O₂)₂ hot ammonium acetate SO2-4 present
Coconut water + concentrated
3. No odour of vinegar CH3COO- absent
H2SO4
Coconut water + fresh FeSO4 NO- 3present
4. Brown ring observed
salt + cocn. H2SO4 dropwise
5 White precipitate soluble in Cl- absent
Coconut water + AgNO3 salt
excess Ammonium hydroxide
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7.3 TEST FOR FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

S.No Experiment Observations Inference

1. Coconut water + Iodine No blue- black obtained Starch absent
2. Proteins are
Coconut water + conc. HNO3 Yelloe precipitate not obtained absent
3. Pour a drop of coconut water
Paper becomes translucent Fats present
on a filter paper

8.0 RESULT

A) The pure sample of coconut water contains respective ions

1. Chloride
2. Nitrate
3. Phosphate
4. Dichromate
5. Zinc
6. Magnesium
7. Potassium
8. Calcium
9. Sodium
B) The pure sample of coconut water is acidic in nature
C) The pure sample of coconut water contains starch oils and fats.

9.0 PRECAUTIONS
• The concentrated solutions should be handled with immense care
• Hands should be washed thoroughly after performing each experiment.
• The apparatuses must be washed thoroughly before and after usage.
• The chemicals in case come in contact with your skin or eyes flush immediately with
abundant water and in case of further pain or irritation a doctor must be consulted at
the earliest
• Take chemicals in accordance to need to prevent the wastage of chemicals.
• Never leave burners unattended, turn them off whenever you leave your workstation.
• Never point a test tube or any vessel that you are heating towards yourself or your
neighbour.

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10.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Wikipedia.org
• www. Google.com
• Chemistry for life.com
• www.youtube .com
• www.earthchemical.com
• Coconut water uses, composition and properties: a review
Alexia PRADES, Manuel DORNIER, Nafissatou DIOP, Jean-Pierre PAIN
http://www.fruits-journal.org or http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/fruits/2012002

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