Complexation properties of phosphonocarboxylic acids in aqueous solutions

The concentration formation constants of phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) complexes with the Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions were determined in aqueous solution at 25°C by potentiometric and coulometric titrations at different ionic strengths and were extrapolated to I=0 in order to obtain thermodynamic values of the formation constants. Complexes were formed by the completely deprotonated K _f (ML) and monoprotonated K _f (MHL) forms of the PAA anion. The respective values for the complexes are: log K _f (CaL)=4.68±0.03, log K _f (CaHL)=2.61±0.08; log K _f (MgL)=5.58±0.09, log K _f (MgHL)=3.0±0.3. The enthalpy and entropy of complexation for the deprotonated Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ PAA species, determined from the temperature dependence of the log K _f (ML), are: H⁰(Ca) =0.6±0.2 kcal-mol^–1, S⁰(Ca)=21.4±0.6 cal-mol^–1-K^–1, H⁰(Mg)=3.0±0.7 kcal-mol^–1, and S⁰(Mg)=35±2 cal-mol^–1-K^–1. It is seen there-fore, that the complexes are entropy stabilized but enthalpy destabilized. Formation constants were also determined for Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ complexes with PAA analogs, phosphonoformic and 3-phosphonopropionic acids and the complexation of PAA was also studied at a single ionic strength, with Na⁺, Ag⁺, Tl⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions.