Equilibrium models of Cr3+ and Cu2+ with glutamate

Speciation diagrams and stability constants for glutamate (Glu) with (Cr³⁺) and (Cu²⁺) in aqueous solutions are presented. The current study covers a larger pH-range affording accurate results, and reveal a different set of species for Cu²⁺ and species not previously reported for Cr³⁺. For the Cu²⁺ Glu system, the most successful model that refined the potentiometric data contains the simple one-to-one complex, the bis-complex and the mono-hydroxo complex. The overall stability constants for Cu²⁺–Glu complexes have respective values of log β₁₁₀ = 7.6 ± 0.2, log β_11-1 = 1.3 ± 0.7, log β₁₂₀ = 13.6 ± 0.2. Attempts to refine the stability constant for the mono-protonated metal complex (log β₁₁₁) that was reported in the literature indicated that this mono-protonated species did not form to an appreciable amount to be important for the model presented here. For the Cr³⁺ Glu system, the overall stability constants for the complexes formed have the values of log β₁₁₀ = 8.34 ± 0.03, log β_11-1 = 1.9 ± 0.1 and log β_11-2 = ?4.6 ± 0.1. These results for Cr³⁺ system covers wider pH-range and have more accuracy than those reported previously. The NMR experiments for Glu revealed downfield shifts of all protons as pH values decrease from 11.21 to 2.85.