The stability constants of some bivalent metal complexes of α-hydroxyisobutyrate and lactate

The stability constants of the lactate and α-hydroxyisobutyrate complexes of Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and UO₂²⁺ were determined by potentiometric titration. The average ligand number exceeds 2, indicating the formation of ML⁺, ML₂ and ML₃^- complexes. The existence of ML₃^- complexes was confirmed by electrophoretic experiments; no polynuclear complexes were formed. α-Hydroxyisobutyrate forms stronger complexes than lactate.