Cost-effective titration analysis of paracetamol for schools

Tools

Osinsao, Rmela and McMillan, Brian G. and Ramsay, Donna L. and Scott, Fraser J. and Wark, Alastair W. and Thomson, Patrick I.T. (2026) Cost-effective titration analysis of paracetamol for schools. Journal of Chemical Education. ISSN 0021-9584 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01315)

[thumbnail of Osinsao-etal-JCE-2026-Cost-effective-titration-analysis-of-paracetamol-for-schools]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Osinsao-etal-JCE-2026-Cost-effective-titration-analysis-of-paracetamol-for-schools.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 logo
Download (1MB)| Preview

Abstract

Synthesis/analysis of paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a common school or introductory synthesis project, but even the simplest known quantitative analysis (hydrolysis, followed by titration with cerium(IV) ammonium sulfate) has become prohibitively expensive for schools due to the requirement for a calibrated redox titration standard. We report here a method that uses hydrolysis followed by acid–base titration to quantify paracetamol, using only the affordable and readily available reagents of dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. There are no specific one-off purchase costs, and the cost per titration is at least ten times lower than the redox titration method. The method is sufficiently accurate for secondary school level project work, and it can be used to track hydrolysis kinetics and analyze over-the-counter tablets formulated with common excipients. The new method can be used as a drop-in replacement for an existing paracetamol analysis method, maintaining the pedagogical benefits of existing educational sequences that rely on this older method. The method was piloted with a group of secondary school chemistry teachers, integrated into an online CLPL platform, and subsequently widely accessed across Scotland.

ORCID iDs

Osinsao, Rmela, McMillan, Brian G., Ramsay, Donna L., Scott, Fraser J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0229-3698, Wark, Alastair W. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8736-7566 and Thomson, Patrick I.T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9831-9199;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)