CHANDRAKANTHI PUBLIC SCHOOL

CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

ON

STUDY OF PRESENCE OF INSECTICIDES AND

PESTICIDES IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

PROJECT BY
V. SANJAY KUMAR
XII-B

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my gratitude to Ms. S. Vasuki,
Chemistry Teacher, for her guidance and suggestions
throughout my project work.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Principal, Mrs.
R. Karunambikeswari for providing the necessary facilities
and ample time to carry out my project.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all my friends in
the successful completion of this project.
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Chemistry project is a bonafide work

carried out by ……………………………………........ of class XII

Science of Chandrakanthi Public School, Coimbatore during

the year 2019 – 2020.

Teacher In-Charge Principal

Date :

Submitted during the practical Examination of Chemistry of the

Central Board of Secondary Education held on ………………

Internal Examiner External Examiner

 INDEX

S.No. CONTENT PAGE No.

1. INTRODUCTION

- CLASSIFICATION OF
PESTICIDES
- EFFECTS ON ENVIRONMENT

2. EXPERIMENT

- AIM
- MATERIALS REQUIRED

- THEORY

- PROCEDURE

- OBSERVATION

- RESULT

3. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 INTRODUCTION
Pesticides are a numerous and diverse group of chemical
compounds, which are used to eliminate pests in
agriculture and households. They enable the quantity and
quality of crops and food to be controlled, and help to limit
the diseases transmitted by insects or rodent vector.
However, despite their merits, pesticides are also toxic.
Their excessive use has a deleterious effect on humans and
the environment. Their presence in food is particularly
very dangerous. Pesticides are of enormous importance in
increasing the yields of quality of agricultural products.
They are used to:
 Control the number of pests destroying whole plant or
their parts
 Increase the production of animal and plant biomass
 Combat micro-organisms causing farm produce or rot
and to decay
CLASSIFICATION OF PESTICIDES:

 HERBICIDES: Herbicides eliminates plant threats

growing where they are not wanted. Farmers use them
to reduce weeds in their agricultural field. People use
herbicides in their yards to get rid of Crab grass,
Dandelins and other weeds.

 FUNGICIDES: Certain fungi cause diseases and may

infect both plants and animals. Fungicides control
plant diseases that affect food-crop-wood and are used
for building houses often treated with fungicides to
prevent diseases.

 INSECTICIDES: Farmers use insecticides to protect

their crops from insect damage. In urban areas, public
health officials use them to fight mosquitoes and
insects which carry germs.
EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT:
Pesticides have many advantages, but they also do so
much harm to the environment. In view of both positive
and negative effects of pesticides, we should aim to
achieve full selectivity of their action.
Each year, 1,40,000 tons of pesticides are sprayed onto
crops in European Union alone. Fruits and vegetables are
the crops most likely to be contaminated by pesticide,
particularly grapes, citrus fruits and potatoes.
The main ill-effects of using pesticides are:
 Decreases soil fertility
 Contamination of air, soil and non-target vegetation
 Health effects in humans
 Affects aquatic lives
 Reduces the nutrient content in fruits and vegetables
 Pollutes underground water resource and air
 Causes serious skin diseases among farmers
 EXPERIMENT
AIM:

To study the presence of insecticides and pesticides in

various fruits and vegetables.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

 Mortar
 Pestle
 Beakers
 Funnel
 Glass rod
 Filter paper
 China dish
 Water bath
 Tripod stand
 Fusion tube
 Knife
 Test tube
CHEMICALS REQUIRED:

 Samples of various fruits and vegetables

 Alcohol
 Sodium metal
 Ferric chloride
 Ferrous sulphate crystals
 Distilled water
 Dil. Sulphuric acid

THEORY:

Nitrogen present in organic compounds is detected by

“Lassaigne’s test”. The elements present in the compound

are converted from covalent form into the ionic form by

fusing the compound with sodium metal.

The following reaction takes place:

Na + C + N NaCN
(sodium cyanide)
Cyanide of sodium so formed on sodium fusion is extracted
from the fused mass by boiling it with distilled water. This
is known as Sodium Fusion extract.

PROCEDURE:

1) Take different types of fruits and vegetables and cut them

into small pieces separately.

2) Transfer the cut pieces of various fruits and vegetables

into mortar separately and crush them using pestle.
3) Take different kinds for each kind of fruits and
vegetables and place the crushed fruits and vegetables in
these beakers and add 100 ml of alcohol to each of these.
4) Stir well and filter.
5) Collect the filtrate in separate china dishes, evaporate the
alcohol by heating the china dishes one by one over a water
bath and let the residue dry in the oven.

6) Heat a small piece of sodium in a fusion tube, till it melts.

7) Then add one of the above residues from the china dish to
this fusion tube and heat it till red hot.
8) Drop the hot fusion tube in a china dish containing about
10 ml of distilled water.

9) Break the tube and boil the contents of the china dish for
about 5 minutes.
10) Cool and filter the solution.

11) Collect the filtrate.

12) To the filtrate add 1 ml of freshly prepared ferrous

sulphate solution and warm the contents.

13) Then add 2-3 drops of ferric chloride solution and

acidify with dilute HCl.
14) If a blue or green precipitate or coloration is obtained it
indicates the presence of nitrogen containing insecticides.
15) Repeat the test of nitrogen for residues obtained from
other fruits and vegetables and record the observation.
OBSERVATIONS:

S.NO NAME OF TEST FOR PRESENCE OF

FRUIT OR PRESENCE INSECTICIDE OR
VEGETABLE OF PESTICIDE RESIDUE
NITROGEN
1. APPLE

2. BANANA

3. POTATO

4. CUCUMBER

RESULT:

It is concluded from the above observations, that each fruit

or vegetable contains nitrogenous insecticide or pesticide
residues in it.
PRECAUTIONS :

 The apparatus must be handled with care.

 The contents in the beaker must be properly heated.

 The food particles must be crushed properly, so that

their extract is obtained.

 Take small quantities of food particles.

 Clean and dry the apparatus before using.

 Turn of the burner after use.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. WEBSITES :
 www.encyclopedia.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.seminorsonly.com

2. BOOKS :
 Comprehensive Practical Chemistry Class XII
 DIFFERENT INSECTICIDES

USING INSECTICIDES IN FIELDS

PRECIPITATE OBTAINED AFTER EXPERIMENT

ORGANIC FRUITS HAVE LESSER FERTILIZERS