Potentiometric studies on organic compounds containing sulphur with a sulphide ion-selective membrane electrode

Phenylthiourea and N,N-diphenylthiourea can be determined in the concentration range 10¹–10^?3M by potentiometric titration with silver nitrate solution with a sulphide ion-selective membrane electrode. The influence of the alkali and acid concentration on the course of the reactions with the silver nitrate titrant was studied. When phenylthiourea is titrated in the presence of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide, silver sulphide is precipitated, and the phenylcyanamide formed simultaneously reacts further with silver nitrate to form a silver phenylcyanamide precipitate. When N,N-diphenylthiourea is titrated under similar conditions, silver sulphide is again formed, but no cyanamide-type compound can be formed owing to the presence of the second phenyl group. In 1 M sodium hydroxide both compounds studied react with two equivalents of silver to give silver sulphide and phenylurea or diphenylurea, respectively. In the presence of nitric acid both compounds react similarly with silver nitrate. Two molecules of the compounds react with one molecule of silver nitrate to give a white precipitate.