Metal and metalloid indicator electrodes for the non-aqueous potentiometric titration of weak acids: comparative evaluation of group III, IV and V main-group elements

Indicator electrodes constructed from aluminium, gallium, indium, thallium, carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, lead, arsenic, antimony and bismuth have been evaluated for the potentiometric titration of solutions of benzoic acid in dimethylformamide and 4-methyl-2-pentanone. The aluminium, gallium, silicon and arsenic electrodes have also been evaluated for the determination of 3,5-xylenol in the same two solvents. Aluminium, gallium, indium, silicon, germanium, antimony and bismuth electrodes are superior to, or compare favourably with, a glass electrode for the determination of benzoic acid, when the criterion of efficiency is the sharpness of the end-point inflexion. In non-aqueous titrations of 3,5-xylenol, aluminium and gallium electrodes are similar in efficiency to the glass electrode for determinations in dimethylformamide solution, while the gallium electrode is superior to the glass electrode when 4-methyl-2-pentanone is the solvent. Possible relationships between the properties of the electrode element and the end-point sharpness when it is used as an indicator electrode are briefly considered.