Bromine number determination by coulometric flow-injection titration

The bromine number, the number of grams of bromine which react with 100 grams of a substance under given conditions, is a widely used parameter in the chemical and petroleum industries. A method of performing the bromine number determination by coulometric flow-injection titration, using both sequential injection with sinusoidal flow and single zone techniques, is described. Titrations of olefins, known interfering compounds, and petroleum distillates were performed and compared with the results of conventional bromine number titrations. Analyses yielded a relative standard deviation of 2%. Results compared favorably with those obtained by the conventional method for both pure (97%) olefins and petroleum distillates. The method was found to be insensitive to interference from nitrogen compounds. The CFIT technique combines the advantages of coulometric titrations: controlled generation of reagent, avoidance of reagent standardization requirements and reagent storage and stability problems; with the advantages of FIA: small volume requirements which reduce cost and waste, controllable dilution through flow programming, toxic materials contained within a closed environment, and the capability of being automated.