Titrimetric determination of some organic compounds with bromine chloride

Bromine chloride is used in hydrochloric acid medium as a standard reagent for the rapid and precise determination of organic compounds by direct or indirect titrimetric methods. Hydrazine and its aryl derivative undergo a 4-electron change. Carbonyl compounds are determined by reaction with excess of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and estimation of the surplus. Sulphanilamide undergoes a substitution reaction in 1:3 molar ratio to bromine chloride. Thiobarbituric acid and thiourea or its alkyl derivatives show an 8-electron change but aryl thioureas also undergo nuclear bromination. Thiosemicarbazide and semicarbazide give a 10- and a 2-electron change respectively. In the direct titration, methionine is oxidized to its sulphoxide whereas cystine and cysteine form cysteic acid. In presence of bromide, glutathione forms the sulphonic acid but in the presence of iodide the product is the disulphide. The analytical results obtained by bromine chloride method are compared favourably with those afforded by established procedures.