Indirect Microdetermination of Hydroxide Ions by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Abstract

A simple indirect atomic absorption spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of hydroxide ions. The method is based on the reduction of silver ions which takes place when hydroxide sample is treated with silver (I) solution in presence of manganese(II) ions. The unconsumed silver is determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The effects of a number of factors have been studied and the method was employed for the determination of free alkali in paper samples.     

Determination of Amino Acids at a Silver Oxide/Silver Phosphate Electrode and the Analysis of Structure‐Response Relationships

When a silver electrode is conditioned in a solution of 0.5 M sodium hydroxide with added sodium phosphate and using a dual pulse (500 mV/750 mV vs. Ag/AgCl), a stable silver(I)/silver(II) oxide surface is formed. It has been previously shown that various moieties react with the silver(II) oxide in a chemical oxidation at the outer surface of the oxide layer. This is then followed by re‐oxidation of the silver with the generation of current at approximately 500 mV relative to the silver/silver chloride electrode. Previously we found the need to remove carbon dioxide from the base and condition the electrode in a solution containing phosphate ion in order to provide mechanical stability to the oxide layer. We have previously shown this electrode to be applicable to the detection of a variety of carbohydrates. The applicability of the silver oxide/silver phosphate electrode to the post‐chromatographic amperometric detection of amino acids was investigated. Calibration studies of amino acids representative of the various classes demonstrated good sensitivity and linearity in the 1–100 μM range. Responses of amino acids were measured using glucose as an external standard, in order to correct for variability of the oxide layer. Relative responses of the amino acids ranged from 3 down to 0.1. Correlation with structure suggested the importance of absorption in determining the rate of oxidation. Comparison of arginine with n‐benzoyl‐L ‐arginine ethyl ester indicated that side chains as well as the backbone amino group can be oxidized. A Levitch plot of alanine was shown to be linear from approximately 30 to 300 radians per second spin rate at a scan rate of 50 mV per second. Application to post‐chromatographic detection was demonstrated.     

Synthesis of silver (II) oxide by oxidation of silver or silver oxide by means of ozone

The oxidation by ozone of a suspension of silver or silver oxide in an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide is described. It has been shown that the oxidation proceeds in two steps:Ag^O₃→Ag₂O^O₃→AgO.The experimental results are in good agreement with a mechanism of dissolution and precipitation. The silver (II) oxide obtained has remarkable properties of stability in alkaline solution and of reducibility to metallic silver. These special properties are probably due to the large size of the particles.     

Preconcentration of cyanide from water by extraction with tributyltin hydroxide

Samples of water (500 ml) are extracted with 25 ml of 0.25M tributyltin hydroxide in trichloroethylene, which is then stripped with 2M sodium hydroxide, the organic reagent being used for a further extraction of the water sample; this cycle is carried out four times. The combined sodium hydroxide extracts are then titrated with silver nitrate solution, with p-dimethylbenzylidenerhodanine as indicator. Mean recoveries are around 99%, and the limit of determination is 4 microg/l. Thiocyanate, sulphide, methanethiol and complex cyanides do not interfere.     

Analytical applications of a liquid anion-exchanger for the separation of uranium(IV) in malonate solution

Uranium was quantitatively extracted with 4% Amberlite LA-1 in xylene at pH 2.5-4.0 from 0.001 M malonic acid. It was stripped from the organic phase with 0.01 M sodium hydroxide and determined spectrophotometrically at 530 nm as its complex with 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol. Of various liquid anion-exchangers tested, Amberlite LA-1 was found to be best. Uranium was separated from alkali and alkaline earth metal ions, thallium(I), iron(II), silver, arsenic(III) and tin(IV) by selective extraction, and from zinc, cadmium, nickel, copper(II), cobalt(II), chromium(III), aluminium, iron(III), lead, bismuth, antimony(III) and yttrium by selective stripping. The separation from scandium, zirconium, thorium and vanadium(V) was done by exploiting differences in the stability of chloro-complexes.     

Potentiometric studies of dithiooxamide with a sulphide-selective membrane electrode

The sulphide-selective electrode is applicable to the determination of dithiooxamide by titration with silver nitrate. The effect of the alkali content of the solutions on the reaction has been studied. The reaction products are silver sulphide, oxalic acid, and nitric acid. If the alkali concentration of the solution is lower than that equivalent to the acid formed during the titration, the amount of sulphide produced by hydrolysis decreases and the equilibrium potential is established more slowly.The determination is rapid and accurate in the presence of 1 M sodium hydroxide.     

The formation and properties of mixed lead sulfide—silver sulfide membranes for lead(II)-selective electrodes

The preparation and behaviour of a lead(II)-selective electrode made of mixed silver sulfide-lead sulfide are discussed and compared with those of a copper(II)-selective electrode. X-ray diffraction showed that hot-pressing of the membrane causes changes in the crystalline structure of the material. Responses to lead(II), sulfide, and hydroxide were measured ; potential-pH curves were determined in solutions containing EDTA, NTA, Tetren or Trien with and without the lead complex. The results are similar to those obtained for the copper-i.s.e. Data are given for titrations, selectivity coefficients, and response times. The response of the lead-i.s.e. to an addition of ligand is faster for Trien than for EDTA. This difference is large for the copper-i.s.e. These response rates may be correlated with potential-pH curves in the presence of ligands.     

Automated determination of cadmium and lead in whole blood by computerized flow potentiometric stripping with carbon fibre electrodes

A sample pretreatment involving only the dilution (1 + 19) of two 0.2–0.4 ml sample aliquots with 0.5 M hydrochloric acid, with a standard addition to one of the aliquots, precedes the injection of each sample. The computer-controlled flow system used automatically executes a pre-programmed number of cycles on each sample pair before presenting the final result. Each cycle, which has a duration of 80 or 135 s for lead(II) and cadmium(II), respectively, involves the display of the derivative stripping signal on a printer/plotter and integration of the stripping peaks generated. For lead(II), striping is done in 0.5 M hydrochloric acid, which eliminates interferences from copper, though at the cost of a relatively high stripping rate, compared to the 5 M calcium chloride used for cadmium(II). The flow cell consists of a silver chloride-lined silver tube which acts as both reference and counter electrode, and a disposable carbon-fibre working electrode mounted in a PVC tube, which normally will operate for 50–200 cycles. The method was verified for whole blood reference standards and by comparison with results obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Stripping Chronopotentiometry with Dry‐Preservable Supporting Electrolyte

The determination of some toxic metals by stripping chronopotentiometry with a supporting solution having an unconventional composition has been investigated with the aim of using such components in disposable measuring cells preservable in dry state and quite ready for use, only needing addition of a small volume of sample. The new supporting solution is prepared with a solid strong acid, p‐toluenesulfonic acid, in the place of the inorganic acids commonly used to improve the cation availability. The other components are, as usual, sodium chloride, which fixes the potential of the screen‐printed silver – silver chloride reference electrode, and mercury(II) chloride as the plating agent. This supporting solution has been tested in batch measurements with the mercury film glassy carbon electrode as well as with screen‐printed carbon‐ink electrodes, either with mercury film or bare. The physical shape of the mercury layer electrolytically deposited on screen‐printed carbon‐ink electrodes from a supporting solution containing 0.1 M p‐toluenesulfonic acid and 0.1 M sodium chloride has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) microanalysis. In chronopotentiometric stripping p‐toluenesulfonic acid performs as well as the usual inorganic strong acids, particularly in terms of sensitivity. At 0.1 mol dm^?3 it proved very suitable for the determination of toxic metals, in particular lead(II), at levels down to a few μg dm^?3. The overall results appear promising and can open new avenues for preparing disposable cells for on‐field stripping chronopotentiometric determination of toxic metals.     

Argentomctric coulomelric titration of thioacetamide

The coulometric determination of thioacetamide (TAA) with electrogenerated silver is described. The titration is done in a solution 0.1M in both ammonia and sodium hydroxide, and the end-point is detected potentiometncally with a silver-silver sulphide electrode. On repeat analyses of approx. 2-mg samples of TAA an average error of -04% (relative standard deviation 0.25%) was obtained. Important steps in the procedure include cleaning the silver generating electrode in nitric acid before each titration, purging well with nitrogen to remove oxygen, and not using too large a sample.     

Doping of processable conducting poly(m‐aminophenol) with silver nanoparticles

Processable poly(m‐aminophenol) (PmAP) was synthesized using ammonium persulfate (APS) oxidant in 0.6 M sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature. Soluble silver hydroxide ammonium complex was formed by dissolving silver nitrate in excess liquor ammonia and the thermal decomposition of this complex easily produced silver nanoparticle. Then, in situ silver nanoparticle‐doped PmAP film was obtained by casting PmAP film from dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with silver hydroxide ammonia complex mixture at 140°C. The nanocomposite was characterized by ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, Fourier transformed spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersion spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The average size of the nanoparticle was around 130–140 nm as confirmed by the TEM analysis. Synthesized PmAP silver nanocomposite showed the highest DC‐conductivity of 1.03 × 10^?6 S/cm. From the above characterizations, it can be said that silver nanoparticle shows some doping effect on the conductivity of PmAP. The doping level of the silver nanoparticle inside the polymer was optimized in terms of DC‐conductivity of the silver nanoparticle‐doped PmAP film. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetics and mechanism of base-catalyzed hydrolysis of Cu(II)-salicylamide complex

The kinetics of hydrolysis of Cu(II)-salicylamide complex have been studied in sodium hydroxide solution (0.5 to 2.5M). The observed pseudo-first-order rate constants vary according to the empirical equation 1/??_obs = B₁ + B₂/[ōH] up to 2.0 M sodium hydroxide concentration. The mechanism of base-catalyzed hydrolysis has been proposed and it is concluded that the reaction proceeds by the interaction of complex with the nucleophile, forming tetrahedral intermediate which then breaks down to products. The rate equation has been derived. Thermodynamic parameters have also been reported.     

Simultaneous determination of lead,copper, and mercury at a modified carbon paste eletrode containing humic acid

The modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) responding simultaneously to lead(II), copper(II), and mercury(II) ions has been constructed by incorporating humic acid (HA) into the graphite powder with Nujol oil. Simple immerging of the electrode into the measuring solution containing these metal ions led to the chemical deposition of the ions onto the electrode through the complexation of the ions with HA. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) characterized the modified electrode's surfaces. Several cyclings of the potential regenerated the electrode (from more positive than the stripping potential of reduced Hg to more negative than the reduction of Pb(II)ion), which was then used for another deposition. After five deposition/measurement/regeneration cycles, the peak current of voltammograns of the analyte decreased slightly. The response reproduced with a 5.1% relative standard deviation. We also applied ihe differential pulse technique to the previously mentioned system. Here, the detection limit tor Pb(II), Cu(II), and Hg(II) ions were 5.0 × 10⁻⁹ M 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ M, and 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively, for 20 minutes of deposition time. After pretreatment of silver(I) ion with KC1, we could not observe any interference by other metal ions on the determination of the test ions in aqueous solution. Satisfactory results were acquired for the determination of the test metal ions in certified standard urine reference material SRM's 2670 (trace elements in urine).     

An evaluation of some commercial lead(II)-selective electrodes

Two types of commercial lead(II)-selective electrode, the Orion 94-82 and the R??i?ka lead Selectrode, are compared. Calibration curves were determined in both buffered and unbuffered lead-ion solutions repeatedly for several weeks. Selectivities with respect to copper(II), silver(I), mercury(II), iron(III), zinc and cadmium were examined as well as the pH response by the mixed solution method. The response times of the electrodes were also studied.     

Separation and determination of traces of heavy metals complexed with humic substances in fresh waters by sorption on diethylaminoethyl-sephadex a-25

Copper(II), lead and cadmium complexed with humic and fulvic acids in filtered 1-l samples of fresh water are sorbed on a column containing 0.5 ml of the macroreticular weak-base anion exchanger, diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex A-25 at a flow rate of 20 ml min^?1. Simple metal cations are not sorbed at all. The sorbed trace metals are quantitatively desorbed with 4 M nitric acid batchwise and determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. For synthetic aqueous solutions containing traces of heavy metals and humic acid, the results are in conformity with those obtained by cationexchange separation. About 80% of the sorbed humic substances are eluted with 0.5 M sodium hydroxide solution from the A-25 column and its quantity is estimated spectrophotometrically at 400 nm.     

Kinetic determination of cephalexin in drug formulations

A kinetic method for the accurate determination of cephalexin has been described. A solution of cephalexin is reacted with 5 x 10(-3)M cobalt(II) nitrate in 1 x 10(-3)M sodium hydroxide at 60 degrees C for a fixed time of 6 min, after which the absorbance of the reaction product is measured at 310 nm. The concentration of cephalexin is calculated by using the corresponding calibration equation for the fixed-time method. The method has been applied to proprietary drugs and the results were compared statistically with those given by the BP method. The determination of cephalexin by the fixed-concentration and rate-constant methods is feasible with the calibration equations obtained but the fixed-time method has been found to be more applicable.     

Determination of picomolar concentrations of bromide with a piezoelectric detector by catalysis of the permanganate/iodide reaction

The piezoelectric quartz crystal has been utilized to detect iodine produced by the bromide- catalyzed oxidation of iodine to iodate by permanganate in acidic solution. After extraction of iodine into toluene, the resulting frequency change caused by iodine adsorption on the crystal electrode is proportional to bromide concentration over the range 0.5–5 × 10^?12 M. Only silver (I), mercury(II) and large concentrations of chloride interfere significantly. The crystal detector is also used to indicate the end-point of a chloride titration with silver.     

Titration of cyanide and hexacyanoferrate(II) with silver nitrate-I Calculation of titration curves for potentiometric and conductometric titration

Stepwise potentiometric titration of cyanide and hexacyanoferrate(II) with silver nitrate is possible in the absence of potassium ions. At an initial concentration below 5.00 x 10(-4)M, cyanide can be titrated with silver nitrate (Ag:CN = 1:2) and the end-point indicated by precipitation of silver hexacyanoferrate(II); hexacyanoferrate(II) can be titrated with silver nitrate (Ag: Fe(CN)(6) = 4:1) and the end-point indicated by precipitation of silver dicyanoargentate. The hexacyanoferrate(II) reacts with silver to form two poorly soluble salts, Ag(4)Fe(CN)(6), KAg(3)Fe(CN)(6). The formation of these salts has been confirmed by conductometric titration of hexacyanoferrate(II) with silver nitrate in solutions containing varying concentrations of potassium nitrate.     

Hemicucurbit[6]uril a Macrocyclic Ligand with Unusual Complexing Properties

The complex formation of the macrocyclic ligand hemicucurbit[6]uril with various salts has been studied in aqueous solution. Due to the low solubility of this ligand the formation of complexes results in an increase of the amount of ligand present in solution. From these measurements the stability constants of the complexes formed are calculated. Hemicucurbit[6]uril only forms cation complexes with cobalt(II), nickel(II) and the uranylion. All other cations examined e.g. silver(I), lead(II) and copper(II) do not form detectable complexes in aqueous solution. For a better understanding of the complexation behaviour some quantum mechanical chemical calculations are performed with Gaussian.Dedicated to Prof. H. Möhwald on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Colorimetric detection of lead (II) based on silver nanoparticles capped with iminodiacetic acid

We report on a colorimetric probe for the determination of Pb(II). It is based on the use of silver nanoparticles that have been functionalizd with iminodiacetic acid (IDA-Ag NPs). The absorption spectrum and solution color of IDA-Ag NPs undergo dramatic changes on exposure to Pb(II) with a new absorption peak appearing at 650 nm and a concomitant color change from yellow to green. This is assumed to result from the aggregation of IDA-Ag NPs induced by Pb(II). Under optimum conditions, there is a linear relationship between the ratio of the absorbances at 650 and 396 nm, respectively, and the concentration of Pb(II) in the 0.4 to 8.0 μM concentration range, with a detection limit of 13 nM. The method was applied to the determination of Pb(II) in tap water and urea samples, and recoveries ranged from 93.7 % to 98.6 %.