Determination of the oxidation states of bismuth and copper in superconductor Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O by oxidation-reduction titration

Summary The oxidation state of the superconductor Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O was determined by two procedures. One was ferrous-chromate titration after dissolution of the sample in manganous nitrate solution. The other was the titration after dissolution in ferrous ion solution. The former procedure gives the concentration of a state like pentavalent bismuth and the latter gives the sum of concentrations of a state like pentavalent bismuth and a state like trivalent copper or peroxide. The result of the titration shows that the superconductor oxide has the state like pentavalent bismuth but not like that of trivalent copper. This is a striking contrast to YBa₂Cu₃O_7–y having a high concentration of the latter state. Although the result was compared with X-ray photoelectron spectra, a clear relationship between them was not obtained.

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Bestimmung der Oxidationsstufen von Bismut und Kupfer im Supraleiter Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O durch Redoxtitration