Adsorption-polarised electrodes for endpoint indication in potentiometric titration

Zusammenfassung Die APE-indication eignet sich besonders gut für Titrationen in gemischten Lösungsmitteln, weil kein Diaphragma benötigt wird. Infolge der geringeren DK wird in der Regel die Löslichkeit von Salzen verringert und die Adsorption an der Indicatorelektrode erhöht. Dadurch wird die Anzeige des Endpunktes verschärft, die Trennung ähnlicher Ionen aber erschwert. Als Beispiel wurden die volumetrische und coulometrische Titration der Halogenide in Eisessig- und Aceton-Wassergemischen untersucht. Im Vergleich zu herkömmlichen Indikationsverfahren bringt die APE-Indikation in Lösungsmittelgemischen wesentliche Fortschritte für die Spuren- und Mikrobestimmung von Chlorid. Die Standardabweichung der volumetrischen und coulometrischen Spurenbestimmung in Eisessig beträgt s=4 ppb Cl^–, das entspricht bei Durchführung als Mikrotitration in 20 l Probe 7×10^–9 g Cl^–.Wir danken dem Minister für Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Landesamt für Forschung, sowie dem Verband der chemischen Industrie, Fonds der Chemie, für finanzielle Unterstützung.     

A graphical method for locating the end point in potentiometric titration curves

Summary A new graphical method for locating the end point in potentiometric titration curves is described. By moving two glass rods to scan the entire curve, the end point is determined when the difference between the two refracted lines is maximum. The method is particularly useful when the end point is ill-defined.

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Graphisches Verjahren zur Bestimmung des Endpunktes potentiometrischer Titrationskurven

Zusammenfassung Zwei gleich starke Glasstäbe werden senkrecht zur Volumenachse über die Titrationskurve geführt. Der Endpunkt ist durch den maximalen Abstand der durch die Refraktion verzerrten Titrationskurve gekennzeichnet. Das Verfahren eignet sich auch noch bei Titrationskurven mit sonst schlecht definiertem Endpunkt.

     

Ion-selective electrode for gallium determination in nickel alloy, fly-ash and biological samples

A poly(vinyl chloride)-based membrane of 2,9-dimethyl-4,11-diphenyl-1,5,8,12-tetraazacyclotetradeca-1,4,8,11-tetraene (DDTCT) with sodium tetraphenyl borate (STB) as an anion excluder and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dibutyl butylphosphonate (DBBP), tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEP) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) as plasticizing solvent mediators was prepared and investigated as a Ga(III)-selective electrode. The best performance was observed with the membrane having the ligand-PVC-DBP-STB composition 1:4:1:1, which worked well over a wide concentration range (1.45 × 10⁻⁶ to 0.1 mol L⁻¹) with a Nernstian slope of 28.7 mV per decade of activity between pH 4.0 and 10.0. This electrode showed a fast response time of 12 s and was used over a period of 100 days with good reproducibility (s = 0.3 mV). The selectivity coefficients for monovalent, divalent and trivalent cations indicate excellent selectivity for Ga(III) ions over a large number of cations. Anions such as Cl⁻ and SO₄²⁻ do not interfere and the electrode also works satisfactorily in partially water-alcohol medium. The practical utility of the membrane sensor has also been observed in solutions contaminated with detergents, i.e., cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulfate and used for the determination of gallium in nickel alloy, fly-ash and biological samples.     

A miniaturized and integrated galvanic cell for the potentiometric measurement of ions in biological liquids

A procedure for an all-plastic electrochemical cell comprising miniaturized planar indicator and reference electrodes is described. All electrodes are based on conducting polymers, are fully integrated, and contain no internal electrolyte. The reference microsensors were deposited via electrochemical polymerization from a water solution containing the monomer 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) or 1-methylpyrrole (MPy) and a biochemical buffer 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid [MOPS], 2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid [MES], or 2-hydroxy-5-sulfobenzoic acid [SSA]). Ion-sensitive microelectrodes were prepared by the deposition of the ion-sensitive membrane solution (Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Cl⁻) directly onto the mediating poly-EDOT (PEDOT), PEDOT–SSA, PEDOT–MES, PEDOT–MOPS, or poly-MPy–MOPS layers.     

Determination of total fluoride in HF/HNO3/H2SiF6 etch solutions by new potentiometric titration methods

In the photovoltaic industry the etching of silicon in HF/HNO₃ solutions is a decisive process for cleaning wafer surfaces or to produce certain surface morphologies like polishing or texturization. With regard to cost efficiency, a maximal utilisation of etch baths in combination with highest quality and accuracy is strived. To provide an etch bath control realised by a replenishment with concentrated acids the main constituents of these HF/HNO₃ etch solutions including the reaction product H₂SiF₆ have to be analysed. Two new methods for the determination of the total fluoride content in an acidic etch solution based on the precipitation titration with La(NO₃)₃ are presented within this paper. The first method bases on the proper choice of the reaction conditions, since free fluoride ions have to be liberated from HF and H₂SiF₆ at the same time to be detected by a fluoride ion-selective electrode (F-ISE). Therefore, the sample is adjusted to a pH of 8 for total cleavage of the SiF₆²⁻ anion and titrated in absence of buffers. In a second method, the titration with La(NO₃)₃ is followed by a change of the pH-value using a HF resistant glass-electrode. Both methods provide consistent values, whereas the analysis is fast and accurate, and thus, applicable for industrial process control.     

Comparison of a single-use pH test strip and a glass electrode for potentiometric titration

The potentiometric titration of a carbonate mixture or an acetate solution is a common experiment in analytical laboratories. Typically, a glass electrode combined with a calomel or Ag/AgCl reference electrode is used to locate the equivalence points in neutralization titrations. The dissociation constants of weak acids and bases can be calculated from the pH at the half-neutralization point. Recently, a new commercial product for measuring pH has been developed. This novel acid–base detection strip is a single-use sensor that requires neither storage in a preservation liquid nor calibration prior to use. This study examined its suitability for the continuous monitoring of pH changes in potentiometric titrations of carbonate mixtures, acetate solutions, or ammonia solutions. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of solutions tested using a glass electrode and a pH test strip. The pK_a, pK_b, and pH values determined using the two systems differed by less than 5%. The results confirmed that the pH strips are suitable for continuously monitoring pH changes during neutralization titrations. However, the strips can only be used once.     

Glass and polymeric membrane electrodes for the measurement of pH in milk and cheese

While there is a considerable interest in the food industry in determining various analytes using ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), only few reports describe their use for direct measurements in food. In this study, the suitability of glass electrodes and ionophore-based solvent polymeric ISEs for the determination of pH in Process cheese, Cheddar cheese and milk was investigated. The liquid junction potential between a 3 M KCl bridge electrolyte and diluted as well as undiluted Process cheese was found to be negligible. Reference electrodes with ceramic plug and sleeve-type junctions performed well, although precautions needed to be taken to prevent plugging at the junctions. While the protein rennet casein posed no problems in pH measurements, the extraction of neutral lipophilic compounds or hydrophobic peptides into solvent polymeric membranes was evident, resulting in some loss of selectivity for monovalent cations upon exposure to cheese. However, it was found that ISEs based on tridodecylamine (R₃N) as ionophore and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (oNPOE) as plasticizer can be used to accurately measure the pH of milk and, after desensitization of the electrodes in a cheese emulsion, of diluted Process cheese. Since pH measurements with a glass electrode showed that emulsions of cheese moderately diluted to a cheese content of 70% have the same pH as undiluted cheeses, it is possible to determine the pH in cheese with ionophore-based ISEs. R₃N membranes also performed well in undiluted milk.     

Ion-selective electrode for measuring low Ca2+ concentrations in the presence of high K+, Na+ and Mg2+ background

In this work, ion-selective electrodes for calcium ion were investigated. Two ionophores were used in the membranes: ETH 1001 and ETH 129. An internal filling solution buffered for primary ion was used that allowed the lower detection limit to be decreased down to 10^−8.8 M. Theoretical and experimental electrode characteristics pertaining to both primary and interfering ions are discussed. Better behavior was obtained with the electrode prepared with ETH 129 in the membrane. This electrode would be the most likely candidate for obtaining a low Ca²⁺ detection limit in measurements performed with high K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺ background, which is found inside the cells of living organisms, for example. The potentiometric response of the electrode in solutions containing main and interfering ions is in good agreement with simulated curves obtained using the Nernst–Planck–Poisson (NPP) model.     

Preparation of surfactant anion-selective electrodes with different selectivity coefficients and a trial to determine each component in binary surfactant mixtures

Functional membrane electrodes with different charge densities were prepared from partly cationic poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and a plasticizer. The modified PVC polymers were synthesized by the co-polymerization of vinyl chloride (VC) and 3-acrylamido-N,N-dimethylpropylamine (ADPA) in different ratios followed by alkylation of the amine segments with methyl iodide. These membrane electrodes showed a nearly Nernstian response to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) below the critical micelle concentration (CMC). In mixtures of SDS and other surfactants, the electrode response was examined and the selectivity coefficient K for the added surfactant was determined. The charge density of the functional membrane altered K; the greater the charge density of the membrane, the greater the value of K. Two membrane electrodes with different K were used to determine the concentration of each component in a binary surfactant mixture. They determined the concentration of the primary surfactant with reasonable accuracy, but the error in determining the concentration of the secondary surfactant was great. The error analysis indicated that a large difference in K for two electrodes is necessary to determine the concentrations of both components in binary surfactant mixtures with reasonable accuracy.     

Device for automated spectrophotometric set-point titrations comprising an automatic correction for turbidity and dilution errors and its applications

Summary An automatic set-point titration with subtraction-photometric detection is used to determine Ca in turbid urine samples. The titration is carried out with EGTA at a pH of 8.5. The set-point solution contains the Zn-EGTA complex and zincon. Upon addition of Ca ions, Zn ions are set free, which are back-titrated till the original equilibrium situation is restored. Analyses of l-amounts of urine gave standard deviations of 2–3% rel. The recovery was 100% (150–400 mg/l). A titration took about 2 min making possible 200 analyses per day. The exponential transformation showed to be necessary for the analysis of turbid samples.

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Vorrichtung zur automatisierten spektralphotometrischen Titration bis zum vorgewählten Endpunkt mit automatischer Korrektur für Trübungs- und Verdünnungsfehler sowie ihre AnwendungenIII. Anwendung zur Titration von Calcium in trüben Harnproben

Zusammenfassung Eine automatische Titration mit vorgewähltem Endpunkt und mit subtraktions-photometrischer Detektion wurde zur Bestimmung von Calcium in trüben Harnproben angewendet. Die Titration wird mit ÄGTA bei einem pH-Wert von 8,5 vorgenommen. Die Endpunktslösung enthält Zn-ÄGTA-Komplex und Zinkon. Calciumionen aus der Probe setzen Zn(II) frei. Es wird mit ÄGTA titriert bis zum Anfangsgleichgewicht. Die Standardabweichung bei der Analyse von Proben von einigen l war ungefähr 2–3 % rel. Der gesamte Ca-Gehalt wurde zu 100% erfaßt (Bereich 150–400 mg/l). Die Titrationsdauer beträgt ungefähr 2 min; täglich können 200 Analysen ausgeführt werden. Für trübe Harnproben war eine exponentielle Transformation notwendig.

Part II: Z. Anal. Chem. 276, 181 (1975).     

Cobalt(II) and nickel(II) complexes of a cyclam derivative as carriers in iodide-selective electrodes

The ligand 1,4,8-tri(n-octyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (L¹) containing pendant octyl groups has been synthesised. L¹ is a tetraazamacrocycle derived from the well-known cyclam unit, and the Ni²⁺ and Co²⁺ complexes, [Ni(L¹)]²⁺ and [Co(L¹)]²⁺, have been isolated and characterised. The ability of the nickel(II) and cobalt(II) complexes to act as anion receptors has been studied by using them as ionophores in membrane-based ion-selective electrodes (ISEs). The PVC membrane containing the complex [Ni(L¹)]²⁺ and 2-nitrophenyloctylether as plasticizer shows a Nernstian response against iodide in a concentration range from 1×10⁻¹ to 4×10⁻⁵ M I⁻ with a detection limit of 1.6×10⁻⁵ M I⁻ and a slope of 58.6 mV/pI⁻ at pH 7 (25 °C). In comparison, the electrode containing [Co(L¹)]²⁺ as ionophore gave a sub-Nernstian slope and a low lifetime. A comparison between the iodide-selective electrode containing [Ni(L¹)]²⁺ and other reported iodide-selective electrodes is also reported.     

An electronic tongue using potentiometric all-solid-state PVC-membrane sensors for the simultaneous quantification of ammonium and potassium ions in water

The simultaneous determination of NH₄⁺ and K⁺ in solution has been attempted using a potentiometric sensor array and multivariate calibration. The sensors used are rather non-specific and of all-solid-state type, employing polymeric (PVC) membranes. The subsequent data processing is based on the use of a multilayer artificial neural network (ANN). This approach is given the name "electronic tongue" because it mimics the sense of taste in animals. The sensors incorporate, as recognition elements, neutral carriers belonging to the family of the ionophoric antibiotics. In this work the ANN type is optimized by studying its topology, the training algorithm, and the transfer functions. Also, different pretreatments of the starting data are evaluated. The chosen ANN is formed by 8 input neurons, 20 neurons in the hidden layer and 2 neurons in the output layer. The transfer function selected for the hidden layer was sigmoidal and linear for the output layer. It is also recommended to scale the starting data before training. A correct fit for the test data set is obtained when it is trained with the Bayesian regularization algorithm. The viability for the determination of ammonium and potassium ions in synthetic samples was evaluated; cumulative prediction errors of approximately 1% (relative values) were obtained. These results were comparable with those obtained with a generalized regression ANN as a reference algorithm. In a final application, results close to the expected values were obtained for the two considered ions, with concentrations between 0 and 40 mmol L^–1.     

Development of new potentiometric sensors for the determination of proguanil hydrochloride in serum and urine

Potentiometric electrodes were developed for the rapid determination of proguanil hydrochloride in pure samples, pharmaceutical preparations and spiked serum and urine samples using PVC membrane,screen printed(SPE), coated wired(CWE), carbon paste(CPE) and modified carbon paste(MCPE)electrodes based on the ion-exchanger of proguanil with phosphotungestic acid(Pr-PT) as a chemical modifier. The prepared electrodes showed Nernestian slopes of 59.7, 58.1, 58.5, 58.5 and 57.0 for the PVC,SPE, CWE, CPE and MCPE for the proguanil ions in a wide concentration range of 1.0 * 10~(-5)–1.0 * 10~(-2)mol L~(-1) at 25°C with detection limits of 7.94 * 10~(-6), 1.0 * 10~(-5), 1.0 * 10~(-6), 7.07 * 10~(-6) and 2.5 * 10~(-6) mol L~(-1), respectively. The prepared electrodes exhibited high proguanil selectivity in relation to several inorganic ions and sugars and they could be successfully utilized for its determination in pure solutions, pharmaceutical preparations and serum and urine samples using the direct potentiometry and standard addition methods with very good recovery values.     

Successive substitution titration of calcium and magnesium with EGTA using thallium oxide electrode for indication

Summary It is demonstrated that magnesium can be titrated with EGTA in the presence of CaEDTA complex. On the basis of this substitution reaction, calcium and magnesium are successively titrated with EGTA, if an appropriate amount of CaEDTA is added after having reached the end point for calcium. Both end points are indicated amperometrically using a thallium oxide anode. The method has been tested for analysis of tap and mineral water. Larger amounts of manganese(II) render the calcium result too high. Moreover, the indication of both end points is affected by the electrode position of an inactive MnO₂-layer onto the Tl₂O₃-layer. Reducing agents destroy the Tl₂O₃-layer. These interferences can be overcome by addition of an appropriate amount of manganate(VII) to the sample.

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Sukzessive Substitutionstitration von Calcium und Magnesium mit ÄGTA, indiziert mit der Thalliumoxidelektrode

Zusammenfassung Magnesium kann mit ÄGTA in Gegenwart des CaÄDTA-Komplexes titriert werden. Auf der Grundlage dieser Substitutionstitration können Calcium und Magnesium nacheinander mit ÄGTA titriert werden, wenn nach dem Endpunkt für Calcium eine ausreichende Menge CaÄDTA zugesetzt wird. Beide Endpunkte werden amperometrisch mit Hilfe einer Thalliumoxidelektrode angezeigt. Die Methode wurde an Leitungswasser und Mineralwasser geprüft. Größere Mengen Mangan(II) bewirken zu hohe Calciumwerte. Darüber hinaus wird die Indikation beider Endpunkte dadurch beeinträchtigt, daß sich eine inaktive MnO₂-Schicht auf der Tl₂O₃-Schicht elektrolytisch abscheidet. Reduzierende Stoffe zerstören die Tl₂O₃-Schicht. Diese Störungen können durch Zugabe von Permanganat vermieden werden.

     

Dual microband electrodes: current distributions and diffusion layer ‘titrations’. Implications for electroanalytical measurements

The simulation of transport to double microband electrodes in generator–collector mode is reported focusing especially on the ‘titration curve’ approach to electroanalysis in which a titrant is electrogenerated from a redox active precursor on the generator electrode and reacts homogeneously with the target analyte. The current on the detector electrode reflects the amount of titrant ‘surviving’ passage between the two electrodes. The form of the titration curve – plots of detector current as a function of generator current – is shown to be highly sensitive to the electrode kinetics of the redox couple driven at the generator electrode. Accordingly the naïve use of such methodology for analysis without accompanying simulation and kinetic analysis is fraught with danger. Use of the conformal mapping approach in combination with the ADI method for investigation of the ‘titration’ current distributions at the double band system gives fast and precise simulation of this and similar problems. Convergence analysis is described which allows for the automatic selection of the simulation grid size so as to obtain a chosen accuracy (for example 1%) of the current for all experimentally meaningful values of the geometrical and physico-chemical parameters of the system to be investigated.     

Application of a new potentiometric method for determination of phosphate based on a surfactant-modified zeolite carbon-paste electrode (SMZ-CPE)

A phosphate-selective electrode based on surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) particles into carbon-paste has been proposed (SMZ-CPE). The electrode was fully characterized in terms of composition, response time, ionic strength, thermal stability and usable pH range. The electrode containing 20% SMZ exhibited linear response range to phosphate species in the range of 1.58 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.00 × 10⁻² M with a detection limit of 1.28 × 10⁻⁵ M and a Nernstian slope of 29.9 ± 0.9 mV per decade of phosphate concentration. The electrode response to phosphate remains constant in the pH range of 4-12 and in the presence of 1 × 10⁻⁴ to 4 × 10⁻³ M NaNO₃. The response of the electrode reaches equilibrium within several seconds after immersing the electrode in phosphate solution. Common anions such as Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻ and Cr₂O₇²⁻ have little effect on the determination of phosphate but AsO₄³⁻ shows some interference. A successful application of the electrode for determination of phosphate in a fertilizer, using direct potentiometry, is presented. The electrode was also used for the potentiometric titration of phosphate. The validation of the obtained results in each case was proved by statistical methods.     

Chronopotentiometric method for the assessment of ionophore diffusion coefficients in solvent polymeric membranes

A chronopotentiometric method is proposed for the determination of the diffusion coefficients of free ionophores in solvent polymeric membranes. For the pH sensitive chromoionophore ETH 5294, the method was shown to give diffusion coefficients that correlate well with those assessed by both optical and chronoamperometric methods. The limit of applicability of the chronoamperometric and chronopotentiometric methods in terms of membrane composition and experimental parameters has been identified. The chronopotentiometric method was successfully used to determine the diffusion coefficients of eight ionophores and proved to be more robust and more widely applicable than the previously reported chronoamperometric and optical methods. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Some alkylphosphoric acid esters for use in coated-wire calcium ion-selective electrodes: Part II. Selectivities and use in potentiometric titrations

The interferences of a range of ions (including the hydrogen ion) on the potential responses of a series of coated-wire calcium-selective electrodes are reported. The extent of the interferences is discussed as a function of the composition of the PVC membranes. The use of these electrodes as end-point sensors in potentiometric titrations of calcium with EDTA is also reported.