Equations for calculation of the pH of buffer solutions containing sodium or potassium dihydrogen phosphate, sodium hydrogen phosphate, and sodium chloride at 25°C

Published thermodynamic data measured in aqueous mixtures of sodium or potassium dihydrogen phosphate with hydrogen phosphate and chloride at 25°C were used to test recently developed methods for calculation of the pH of phosphate buffer solutions. Equations for ionic activity coefficients are used in these methods. It is shown that all data used in the tests up to an ionic strength of about 0.5 mol-kg^-1 can be accurately predicted by the two methods recommended. In one of these methods, equations of the Hückel type are used for ionic activity coefficients and in the other equations of the Pitzer type. Several sets of phosphate buffer solutions are recommended,e.g., for calibrations of glass electrode cells. In the recommended sets, the pH of the buffer solutions can be calculated either by the Hückel or Pitzer method, and the pH predictions of these methods agree in most cases within 0.005 at least up to ionic strengths of about 0.2 mol-kg^-1. The pH values of the two primary pH standards endorsed by IUPAC based on aqueous mixtures of KH₂PO₄ and Na₂HPO₄,i.e., pH values of 6.865 and 7.413, can also be accurately predicted by the equations recommended in this study.     

Electron impact and isobutane and ammonia chemical ionization mass spectrometry of some tetrahydropyranyl acetals

The electron impact induced fragmentations of 24 tetrahydropyrane ethers of different types of alcohols were studied by exact mass measurement and metastable ion analysis. The most characteristic features of the spectra were associated with the tetrahydropyrane ring, As the size of the molecule increased, the fragmentations with respect to exocyclic oxygen became more important allowing differentiation among the isomeric aliphatic alcohols. Under isobutane chemical ionization, loss of neutral alcohol from [M + H]⁺ leading to the formation of a tetrahydropyranium ion was dominant for aliphatic alcohol derivatives, whereas loss of 2-hydroxy tetrahydropyrane giving rise to an alkyl ion was dominant for bicyclic alcohol derivatives. Under ammonia chemical ionization, nucleophilic substitution reactions were always most important.     

Speciation of chromium in waste waters by coupled column ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An application of coupled column ion chromatography (IC)-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is presented for speciation of chromium in waste waters. By coupling an anion column with a cation column, both the cationic Cr(III) and anionic Cr(VI) species can be analyzed with detection limits below 0.5 μg/1. The separation of the interfering ions (chloride, chlorate, perchlorate, sulphate, sulphite, sulphide, thiosulphate, carbonate, cyanide and some organic compounds) from the chromium peaks is discussed, and the use of different chromium isotopes for data acquisition is compared. Based on the results, m/z 52 was considered as an ideal isotope for speciation of chromium in waste waters by the coupled column IC-ICP-MS, because it did not suffer from polyatomic interferences and due to the high sensitivity for chromium. The analysis of the waste water samples should be performed as soon as possible after sampling according to the stability tests of the species.     

Effects of functional group interactions in the chemical ionization mass spectra of some substituted cis-1,3-cyclopentane dicarboxylic acids and their derivatives

Ammonia, isobutane and methane chemical ionization mass spectra have been measured for some substituted cis-1,3-cyclopentane dicarboxylic acids and their derivatives. The relative proton affinities of the different functional groups determine the protonation site in the molecule and thereby greatly affect the fragmentation. Intramolecular catalysis clearly facilitates the elimination of water in cases where functional groups can interact with each other.     

Speciation of chromium by coupled column HPLC-ICP-MS – the effects of interfering ions

ICP-MS is used as an element selective detector for chromium species in aquatic samples using a coupled columm system consisting of a cation guard column and an anion column. The effects of large concentrations of disturbing ions, like NO(3)(-), Cl(-), CO(3)(2-) and SO(4)(2-), are discussed and the comparison with the use of different chromium isotopes for data acquisition is given. Quite low concentrations such as 100 mg/l of CO(3)(2-), 10 mg/l Cl(-) and even 5 mg/l SO(4)(2-) can cause an overestimation of chromium if not properly resolved1995 / Accepted: 24 October 1995     

Rapid determination of trace concentrations of lead in gasoline by anodic stripping voltammetry

Anodic stripping voltammetry can be used for the determination of g/l concentrations of lead in gasoline. A gasoline sample is extracted with iodine monochloride reagent solution. An aliquot of the aqueous phase is pipetted into the measuring cell of the voltammeter. The ease of this method makes it a good alternative to atomic absorption spectrophotometry.     

Tautomerism and electron impact mass spectra of pyrimidin-4(3H)- and -4(1H)-ones

A mass spectrometric identification and differentiation of pyrimidin-4(3H)- and -4(1H)-ones was carried out. N-Substitution at position 1 or 3 made the distinction of the two sets of compounds very easy because of their characteristic fragmentation pathways. Most interesting were the spectra of the N-unsubstituted derivatives, which illustrated a predominance of the two possible NH tautomers in relation to the 4-hydroxy structure.     

Determination of the Dissociation Constants of Urocanic Acid Isomers in Aqueous Solutions

Summary. (E)- and (Z)-Urocanic acids are endogenous chemicals in the normal mammalian skin. The first and the second thermodynamic dissociation constants (pK _a1 and pK _a2) of urocanic acid isomers were determined using UV spectrophotometry in aqueous solutions. The values with standard deviation (pK _a1 = 3.43 ± 0.12 and pK _a2 = 5.80 ± 0.04) and (pK _a1 = 2.7 ± 0.3 and pK _a2 = 6.65 ± 0.04) were obtained to (E)- and (Z)-urocanic acids, respectively. The second dissociations were studied also by potentiometric titration in aqueous sodium chloride solutions up to the isotonic salt concentration (0.154 mol dm⁻³), and the second thermodynamic dissociation constants as well as activity parameters for both isomers were determined at temperature 25°C and for (E)-urocanic acid also at 37°C. The obtained pK _a2 values were close to those found by UV spectrophotometry. The equations for the calculation of the second stoichiometric dissociation constants of urocanic acid isomers on molality and molarity scale in aqueous sodium chloride solutions were derived. The obtained pK _a1 and pK _a2 values for (Z)-urocanic acid appear to be essentially lower than some previously reported values in literature. An erratum to this article is available at .     

A simplified approach to the generalized standard-addition method and its application in electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and general standard-addition method for a single-component determination is presented. The method uses two independent variables for the calculation of the analyte concentration (the amount of sample taken and the amount of analyte added) and one dependent variable, the response. The sensitivity and the response of the blank can also be estimated from the model by changing the amount of the sample and the amount of the analyte addition. In the simples case, a linear equation is assumed to exist between the variables. Geometrically, the model can be expressed by the response plane in the variable-space. The method has all the advantages of the ordinary standard-addition method but also includes automatic blank elimination and versatile matrix-interference control. Two examples of the use of the method are based on graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry of chromium and lead. Standard statistical packages are applied.