Determination of Aqueous Nickel-Carbonate and Nickel-Oxalate Complexation Constants

An ion-exchange method was used to determine complexation constants for the Ni-oxalate and Ni-carbonate systems in a NaClO₄ background electrolyte. The Ni-oxalate data were interpreted in terms of a single Niox(aq) complex having log K₁ values for Ni²⁺ + ox^2– Niox(aq) of 3.9 ± 0.1 (I.S. = 0.5 mol-L^–1 p[H] = 7.1) and 4.4 ± 0.1 (I.S. = 0.1 mol-L^–1 p[H] = 8.6) at 22 ± 1C. Specific ion-interaction theory (SIT) was used to obtain log K₁ = 5.17 ± 0.05 (95% confidence level and = –0.23 ± 0.15) at I.S. = 0. The Ni-carbonate studies were carried out at p[H] values of 7.5, 8.5, and 9.6 in 0.5 mol-L^–1 NaClO₄/NaHCO₃ solutions. The NiCO₃(aq) species was the dominant complex in the [CO₃^2–] concentration ranges studied at all three p[H] values. A log K₁ value for Ni²⁺ + CO₃^2– NiCO₃(aq) of 2.9 ± 0.3 was deduced at I.S. = 0.5 mol-L^–1. Extrapolating this value to zero ionic strength using the SIT approach yielded log K₁ = 4.2 ± 0.3 (95% confidence level and = –0.26 ± 0.04). The data allowed upper bound values for the complexation constants for NiHCO₃⁺ and Ni(CO₃)₂^2– to be estimated, i.e., log K < 1.4 for Ni²⁺ + HCO₃^– NiHCO₃⁺, and log K₂ < 2 for NiCO₃(aq) + CO₃^2– Ni(CO₃)₂^2–, respectively.