Direct complexometric titration of thorium with versene using SPADNS

Summary The existing volumetric methods for the determination of thorium are indirect and unsatisfactory. A direct titrimetric method for the estimation of thorium has been developed which involves the adjustment ofph, addition of 1 ml. of 0.02% SPADNS indicator, dilution to volume and titration with versene. It is based on the fact that thorium forms a coloured complex with SPADNS and after the bulk of thorium has reacted with versene, the highly coloured thorium- indicator complex is destroyed, marking the end point. Quantity of thorium as small as 5 mg. can be titrated accurately when present in a volume of 50 ml. Determination of thorium can also be made in presence of large amount of iron by adding ascorbic acid prior to the titration. Interferences of various ions have also been studied. The method proposed for thorium is selective and should be of considerable use in many cases.The author's thanks are due to Dr. A. K. Ghosal, Principal Darjeeling Government College, for providing all laboratory facilities and Dr. A. K. Mukherjee, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta for his kind help in the work.     

Rapid titrimetric determination of microgram amounts of fluoride ion with spadns -thorium lake

A rapid titrimetric method has been developed for the determination of microgram amounts of fluoride ion in the range from Img-Ioomg, in 50 ml final volume. It involves the adjustment of pH, addition of 1 ml of 0.02% SPADNS indicator, dilution to volume and titration with standard 0.004M Th(NO₃)₄ until the colour obtained matches a blank containing the buffered solution of the indicator with a. trace of thorium nitrate solution. Interference by various ions was also studied. The method described for the determination of fluoride ion is very rapid and the colour change at the end point being sharp, the detection of the end point is very easy. The method is applicable to pure solutions of fluondes.     

Organic azo-dyes in quantitative analysis

Summary Chrom red brown 5RD was used as an indicator for complexometric titration of thorium. The change in the colour at the end-point was from wine-red to yellow. It is recommended that the thorium buffered aliquot should not contain less then 200 g thorium per 10 ml for a precise estimation. A range of p_H from 2.5 to 3.5 has been found satisfactory for such a titration. Ferri, ferro and zirconium ions interfere; they should be separated beforehand.Part I: Zaki, M. R., and K. Shakir: Z. analyt. Chem. 174, 274 (1960).     

Diphenic acid as an analytical reagent

Summary Diphenic acid can separate thorium completely from moderate amounts of ferrous iron and titanium in almost neutral solutions. As the reagent forms quantitative precipitates with ferric iron and zirconium, workable methods for their separation from thorium and their co-determinations in a mixture with the help of this reagent have also been developed. The reagent can separate thorium from zirconium by precipitating the latter below p_h2, and the same from iron(ic) can be accomplished by the use of ascorbic acid as a masking agent. Ferric iron can be precipitated from solution containing ascorbic acid, by the ammonium salt of the reagent. A convenient process for the estimation and separation of zirconium, thorium, iron(ic) and titanium, when present in a mixture, has also been described, which involves the proper control ofph and the use of ascorbic acid as a complexing agent for ferric iron.My sincere thanks are due to Dr. A.K. Mukherjee of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta for his valuable suggestions and to Dr. A. K. Ghosal, Principal, Darjeeling Government College for providing laboratory facilities.     

Analytical aspects of some organic acids

Summary Back titrimetric procedures for the estimation of aluminium, zirconium, and thorium have been developed, which involved the adjustment of the concentration of the metallic salts, concentration of EDTA,ph, and temperature, addition of indicator solution (namely, 2-hydroxy3-naphthoic acid and back titration with standard 0.1 M ferric chloride solution. This method is based on the fact that the excess EDTA, which is added to the metal solutions may be back titrated with iron(III), which forms a highly coloured complex with the indicator, when present in slight excess. Quantities of aluminium, zirconium and thorium as small as 10.8, 4.6, 11.6 mg respectively, can be back titrated with in experimental error, when present in a volume of 100 ml.Part IV: See Z. analyt. Chem. 172, 356 (1960).     

Conductometric estimation of thorium in dilute thorium chloride

Summary Conductometric titrations of thorium chloride against oxalic acid, ammonium oxalate and silver nitrate have been carried out at high dilutions (0.001, 0.0005 and 0.00033 M) of the chloride. Oxalic acid is found to be a suitable titrant for rapid estimation of thorium, the minimum error being +0.5%. The other titrants do not give good results. The titrations with ammonium oxalate indicate the step-wise ionisation of ThCl₄ into ThCl₂ ²⁺, ThCl³⁺ and Th⁴⁺. For mixtures of thorium chloride and cerous chloride, only the equivalence point corresponding to complete precipitation of both thorium and cerium is indicated.The authors express their sincere thanks to Prof. S. S.Joshi for his keen interest in this work and to Dr. G. S.Deshmukh for his advice and help in so many ways during the progress of these studies.     

Use of organic reagents in inorganic analysis

Summary Thorium and zirconium have been determined gravimetrically with phenylglycine-p-carboxylic acid and zirconium alone with phenylglycine-o-carboxylic acid, almost within the same pH range. Better results are obtained when zirconium is precipitated in acetic acid solution in presence of a little ammonium acetate. A number of foreign ions may be separated from thorium and zirconium with these reagents. Iron and titanium cause heavy interference. The interference caused by iron, may however, be eliminated by adding a little ascorbic acid, before precipitation of the metals. The para acid can also extract thorium from a mixture of cerite earths and from monazite sands.Part V: See Z. anal. Chem. 158, 347 (1957).The author likes to thank Dr. B. N. Bose, Principal of the College and Dr. S. K. Sinha, the Head of the Department of Chemistry for their kind advice and encouragements.     

Sodium alizarin-3-sulphonate as a chromophoric reagent

Summary A method has been recommended for the determination of thorium and molybdenum when present in micro-quantities, based on the formation of a red coloured water soluble chelate ( _max=520 nm for thorium and _max=470 nm for molybdenum) of the composition MRe=12, with sodium-alizarin-3-sulphonate. A large number of ions, however, interfere and should be removed before measurements are made. The solution of thorium chloride or ammonium molybdate may then be treated with a freshly prepared solution of Alizarin Red S. The p_H should be kept within the range 3.2 to 8.0 for thorium, 3.5 to 5.6 (preferably at 5.0) for molybdenum and the colour intensity may be measured with a photoelectric colorimeter or with a spectrophotometer. Temperature has no influence on the colour intensity. Determinations are possible between 0.23 and 16.70 ppm of thorium and 0.19 to 6.9 ppm of molybdenum.

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Zusammenfassung Zur Bestimmung von Mikromengen Thorium und Molybdän wird ein Verfahren vorgeschlagen, das auf der Bildung einer rotgefärbten, wasserlöslichen Komplexverbindung mit Natriumalizarin-3-sulfonat beruht. Die Zusammensetzung des Komplexes beträgt in beiden Fällen MeReagens=12. Die Absorptionsmaxima liegen bei 520 nm (Th) bzw. bei 470 nm (Mo). Viele Fremdionen verursachen Störungen und müssen vor der Messung entfernt werden. Die Lösung von Thoriumchlorid bzw. Ammoniummolybdat werden mit frisch bereiteter Alizarinrot S-Lösung behandelt; der p_H-Wert soll im Bereich 3,2–8,0 für Thorium bzw. 3,5–5,6 (am besten 5,0) für Molybdän liegen. Die Farbintensität wird mit einem photoelektrischen Colorimeter oder einem Spektrophotometer gemessen; sie wird von der Temperatur nicht beeinflußt. Die Bestimmung läßt sich im Bereich 0,23–16,70 ppm Thorium bzw. 0,19–6,9 ppm Molybdän durchführen.

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Part. II: Sinha, S. N., and A. K. Dey: Z. analyt. Chem. 183, 182 (1963).     

Diphenic acid as an analytical reagent

Summary Diphenic acid behaves as a selective reagent for the estimation of thorium in presence of phosphate, arsenate, molybdate, alkaline, earths, copper, cadmium, lead, bismuth, tin, aluminium, chromium, nickel, cobalt, zinc, manganese, magnesium and palladium. Thorium can be successfully separated from the cerite earths by the reagent from solutions having thoria: earth oxide ratio 126 by single precipitation and by double precipitation when the above ratio is 144. The reagent can separate thorium from solutions having ThO₂U₃O₈ ratio upto 180 by double precipitation. The metal can also be recovered from monazite sands.Thanks are expressed hereby to Dr. A. K. Ghosal, Principal, Darjeeling Government College and Dr. A. K. Mukherjee of Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta, for their kind encouragement and to the Government of India, Ministry of Natural Resources and Scientific Research for a gift of Indian Monazite for analysis.     

Analytical aspects of some azo dyes from chromotropic acid

Summary Nitroso-SNADNS-4, itself a yellow coloured dye in acid medium forms a reddish-pink colouration with thorium in weakly acid solution. The colour is stable for about 24 hours and to a temperature up to 50C. The thorium complex shows maximum absorbance at the wave length 520 m, while that of the dye occurs at 430 m. The maximum intensity of colour of the thorium complex is shown at aph 2.5. The colour system conforms to Beer's law in a wide range of concentration of thorium and presents a reliable method for the spectrophotometric determination of the metal even in presence of a large number of common ions, the ions interfering are: tin, iron, nickel, cobalt, cerium(IV), zirconium, gold, phosphate and fluoride. The average percentage of deviation of the absorbance index in the determination of thorium is 1.14.Part VI: See Z. analyt. Chem. 167, 105 (1959)     

Oxidations with potassium permanganate in the presence of fluoride

Summary Trivalent chromium and quadrivalent vanadium can be determined with fair accuracy by a method consisting in mixing either with an excess of KMnO₄ in the presence of 0.3 to 1.8 M alkali hydroxide. After leaving the mixture for 5 min, the solution is acidified with sulphuric acid and mixed with 50 to 75 ml of 2% NaF solution. An excess of monovalent mercury Hg₂ ²⁺ solution is then added, the solution heated to 40° C and then titrated with KMnO₄ solution in the presence of Cu²⁺ ions to conceal the pink manganic fluoride colour.Part II: Issa, I. M., and M. Hamdy: Z. analyt. Chem. 172, 162 (1960).     

Organic azo-dyes in quantitative analysis

Summary Chrom Red Brown 5 RD has been found as a sensitive reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of thorium. Concentrations as low as 1 g thorium/1 ml can be easily determined at wave length 485 nm. Sulphate, chloride, ferric and zirconium ions badly interfere, while Li, Na, K, Ni, Co, Cu²+, Cd, Ca, Mg and Cr³⁺ do not. U⁶⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ are permissible as traces.Part II: Zaki, M. R., and K. Shakir: Z. analyt. Chem. 177, 196 (1960).     

Zur ma?analytischen Mikrobestimmung von Eisen (III) mit Hilfe von Variaminblau als Redoxindicator

Zusammenfassung Die chelatometrische Bestimmung von 27–550 g Eisen(III)-ionen in 10–20 ml Lösung mit 0,01 m ÄDTE-Lösung gegen den Redoxindicator Variaminblau wird beschrieben. Die Einstellung des pH-Wertes 2–4 der stark sauren Ausgangslösung erfolgt mit Hilfe von 1 n Natriumhydrogencarbonatlösung, wodurch bei Zimmertemperatur eine schnelle Titration durchgeführt werden kann.

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Summary A procedure is described for the chelatometric determination of 27 to 550 g of iron(III) ions in 10–20 ml of solution with 0.01 M EDTA solution using variamine blue as indicator. A rapid titration at room temperature can be achieved, if 1 N NaHCO₃ solution is used for the adjustment of pH 2–4 in the strongly acidic sample solution.

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Dem Direktor des Institutes für Anorganische Chemie, Herrn Prof. Dr. H. Holzapfel, sei für die Möglichkeit zur Durchführung der Arbeit und die gewährte Unterstützung herzlich gedankt.     

Complexometric determination of thorium in ThO2−PuO2

A method based on the complexometric titration of thorium using ethylene diaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) as complexant has been developed for the determination of thorium in thorium-plutonium solution without resorting to prior separation of plutonium. Plutonium in the form of Pu(VI) does not affect the thorium determination when present up to 10% in thorium—plutonium solution. For oxidation of plutonium to Pu(VI), HClO₄ or AgO was used. HClO₄ is preferred. The thorium values obtained without prior separation of plutonium are compared with those obtained after separating plutonium by anion exchange technique. A precision of ±0.5% has been obtained for 5–10 mg of thorium in the aliquot.     

The determination, in forensic toxicology, of metallic poisons by paper chromatography

Summary Precipitation of ThFe(CN)₆ from a solution of thorium nitrate with potassium ferrocyanide at varius concentrations has been carried out for the estimation of thorium. The precipitate was filtered and the excess of ferrocyanide was titrated with standard ceric sulphate solution. The amount of potassium ferrocyanide thus used was obtained and the amount of thorium calculated.Having established by the physico-chemical methods that the formula for thorium ferrocyanide is ThFe(CN)₆, under all conditions, it has now become possible to estimate thorium volumetrically by the ferrocyanide method.     

Thorium complex of 2,7-dinitroso-1,8- dihydroxynaphthalene-3,6-disulphonic acid : Complexometric determination of thorium with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

Thorium forms a pinkish-violet coloured complex with dinitrosochromotropic acid, which has been used as an indicator in the titrimetric determination of thorium with EDTA. The method is based on the fact that this coloured complex is less stable than the thorium-EDTA complex and breaks down after a bulk of thorium has reacted with EDTA; this marks the end-point, which is the change from pinkish-violet to red. am little as 3.1 mg of thorium present in 50 ml volume of solution may be accurately determined within a pH range from 2.2 to 3.5. The study of interferences revealed that quite a number of elements do not interfere; iron may be masked with ascorbic acid. Thorium may be determined by the same method, after separating it from many interfering ions by precipitating it with o-anisilic acid.