Complexation of poly(ethyleneimine) with copper(II) and nickel(II) ions in 0.5 M KNO3 solution

Complexation of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) with copper(II) and nickel(II) ions was studied in a 0.5M aqueous KNO₃ solution. The potentiometrically determined logarithm of the three successive formation constants (log k_J) were 8.14, 7.96, and 7.37 for Cu⁺²-PEI complexation and 6.74, 6.52, and 6.23 for Ni⁺²–PEI complexation at 25°C, according to Bjerrum's modified method. The maximum average coordination number was 3.2 for the Cu⁺²–PEI system and 3.7 for the Ni⁺²–PEI system. An entropy effect was observed in the third coordination. The wavelengths of maximum absorption of the complexes and the continuous variation method showed that at least two coordination sites of Cu⁺² ion and three coordination sites of Ni⁺² ion were occupied immediately by PEI as the solutions of PEI and the metal ions were mixed.