Direct potentiometric titration of thiosulfate,thiourea, and ascorbic acid with lodate using an iodide ion-selective electrode

A potentiometric method has been developed for the semi-automatic direct titration of thiourea, thiosulfate, and ascorbic acid with potassium iodate in strongly acidic solutions using an iodide ion-selective electrode to monitor the reaction and locate the endpoint. The method is simple, fast, precise, and accurate. Amounts ranging from 0.15–1.5 mg of thiourea (3.9 × 10^?4–3.9 × 10^?3, M), 0.3–3.0 mg of thiosulfate (5.4 × 10^?4–5.4 × 10^?3, M), and 0.5–5.0 mg of ascorbic acid (5.7 × 10^?4–5.7 × 10^?3, M) have been determined with an average error of about 1%. The method has been applied to the determination of ascorbic acid in tablets. Results checked closely with those obtained with a standard titrimetric method.