A colorimetric method for the determination of carboxylic acids

A new colorimetric method for the determination of carboxylic acids using bromocresol green reagent is established. The formed color follows Beer's Lambert law and is stable for 24 hr. The method is successfully applied for measuring the disappearance of volatile fatty acids in P. oxalicum culture media. The method is reproducable and is used also for the quantitative determination of carboxylic acids in Dowex 1-X8 eluates. A linear relationship between the pK₁ of different carboxylic acids and the calculated molar extinction coefficients of the color formed at 440 nm is demonstrated.