Potentiometric and Multinuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of the Solution Equilibria Between Aluminium(III) Ion and L-Aspartic Acid

Solution equilibria between aluminium(III) ion and L-aspartic acid were studied by potentiometric, ²⁷Al, ¹³C, and ¹H NMR measurements. Glass electrode equilibrium potentiometric studies were performed on solutions with ligand to metal concentration ratios 1:1, 3:1, and 5:1 with the total metal concentration ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 mmol/dm³ in 0.1 mol/dm³ LiCl ionic medium, at 298 K. The pH of the solutions was varied from ca. 2.0 to 5.0. The non-linear least squares treatment of the data performed with the aid of the Hyperquad program, indicated the formation of the following complexes with the respective stability constants log β_p,q,r given in parenthesis (p, q, r are stoichiometric indices for metal, ligand, and proton, respectively): Al(HAsp)²⁺ (log β_1,1,1 = 11.90 ± 0.02); Al(Asp)⁺ (log β_1,1,0 = 7.90 ± 0.03); Al(OH)Asp⁰ (log β_1,1,−1 = 3.32 ± 0.04); Al(OH)₂Asp⁻ (log β_1,1−2 = −1.74 ± 0.08), and Al₂(OH) Asp³⁺ (log β_2,1,−1 = 6.30 ± 0.04). ²⁷Al NMR spectra of Al³⁺ + aspartic acid solutions (pH 3.85) indicate that sharp symmetric resonance at δ∼10 ppm can be assigned to (1, 1, 0) complex. This resonance increases in intensity and slightly broadens upon further increasing the pH. In Al(Asp)⁺ complex the aspartate is bound tridentately to aluminum. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of aluminium + aspartic acid solutions at pH 2.5 and 3.0 indicate that β-methylene group undergoes the most pronounced changes upon coordination of aluminum as well as α-carboxylate group in ¹³C NMR spectrum. Thus, in Al(HAsp)²⁺ which is the main complex in this pH interval the aspartic acid acts as a bidentate ligand with –COO⁻ and –NH₂ donors closing a five-membered ring.