Fischer, Karl, titration

Karl Fischer titration (coulometric end-point detection) 

The Karl Fischer titration is a specialised type of coulometric titration. Coloumetry itself is a useful technique, but is not used as a mainstream technique for pharmaceutical analysis. Essentially coulometry is based on the electrolytic reduction of the analyte, i.e. the analyte is reduced by electrons supplied by a source of electrical power and the amount of charge passed in order to convert the analyte to its reduced form is equivalent to the amount of analyte present in solution. 

According to Faraday s Law, where one molecule of analyte reacts with one electron, 1 mole of analyte will react with 96485 coulombs of electricity where coulombs = amps x s. If iodine is reduced by coulometry, the following reaction 

One mole of iodine will consume 2 x 96 485 coulombs of electricity. The Karl Fischer titration is widely used for the determination of water in pharmaceuticals. Quantitation in this case is not based on the total amount of current which flows through the solution but the reduction of iodine is simply used to indicate the endpoint of the titration. The reagent consists of mixture of anhydrous methanol, anhydrous pyridine, iodine and sulphur dioxide. The equation for the reaction of water with the reagent looks complicated (see below) 

The Karl Fischer titration is used to quantify water in pharmacopoeial assays of ampicillin trihydrate, benzylpenicillin sodium, gentamycin sulphate, tetracosactrin and tobramycin. 

The Karl Fischer method is a titration to determine the water content in liquid and solid materials. The method utilizes a rather complex reaction in which the water in a sample is reacted with a solution of iodine, methanol, sulfur dioxide, and an organic base  

There are two general ways by which the titration can take place. One is the volumetric method, in which the titrant is added to the sample via an automatic titrator. In this case, the titrant is either a mixture of all of the reactants above (a composite titrant) or an iodine solution (other components already in the 

FIGURE 14.12 A photograph of the dual platinum electrode probe. 

From these equations it can be seen that each mole of water requires one mole of I2. In a visual endpoint Karl Fischer titration, a sample is titrated with the Karl Fischer reagent until a permanent iodine color (indicating that all water has been reacted) is observed. Because of other reaction products, the color change is usually from a yellow to a brownish color, which may be difficult to detect visually. Highly colored samples may affect the visual end point as well. A much sharper end point, known as the dead stop end point, can be obtained if the titration is done electrometrically. Here, two small platinum electrodes dip into the titration cell, a small constant voltage is impressed across these electrodes, and any current that flows is measured with a galvanometer. At the end point of the titration the current either goes to a minimum or else increases suddenly from nearly zero. Commercially available Karl Fischer instruments incorporate semiautomatic microprocessors based on this principle. 

Only the volumetric Karl Fischer titration (see Basic Protocol) will be discussed in this unit. In addition, it is assumed that the sample being tested is a low-moisture solid, where it is necessary to weigh out the sample, add it to a sealable flask of anhydrous methanol to extract the water, and measure the amount of extracted water. 

Karl Fischer solvent anhydrous methanol (dried using molecular sieves) 

Karl Fischer titration assembly, automatic (Metrohm 701 or 758, Brinkmann or 

clean 10- and 50-ml volumetric flasks Balance capable of measuring 0.1 mg 

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Kaibutilate [4849-32-5] Kail-Fischer method Karl Fischer titration Karl Fischer titrations Karmex... 

Anhydrous ammonia is normally analy2ed for moisture, oil, and residue. The ammonia is first evaporated from the sample and the residue tested (86). In most instances, the amount of oil and sediment ia the samples are insignificant and the entire residue may be assumed to be water. For more accurate moisture determinations, the ammonia can be dissociated into nitrogen and hydrogen and the dewpoint of the dissociated gas obtained. This procedure works well where the concentration of water is in the ppm range. Where the amount of water is in the range of a few hundredths of a percent, acetic acid and methanol can be added to the residue and a Karl Fischer titration performed to an electrometricaHy detected end point (89—92). 

For efficiency of desiccants in drying acetone see Burfield and Smithers [7 Org Chem 43 3966 1978]. The water content of acetone can be determined by a modified Karl Fischer titration [Koupparis and Malmstadt A/w/ Chem 54 1914 1982]. 

Tests for purity include the Karl Fischer titration for water this can be applied directly. Acetic acid and methylamine can be detected polarographically. 

A colourless, odourless, neutral liquid at room temperature with a high dielectric constant. The amount of water present can be determined directly by Karl Fischer titration GLC and NMR have been used to detect unreacted propionic acid. Commercial material of high quality is available, probably from the condensation of anhydrous methylamine with 50% excess of propionic acid. Rapid heating to 120-140° with stirring favours the reaction by removing water either directly or as the ternary xylene azeotrope. The quality of the distillate improves during the distn. 

Small amounts of pyridine have been purified by vapour-phase chromatography, using a 180-cm column of polyethyleneglycol-4(X) (Shell 5%) on Embacel (May and Baker) at 100°, with argon as carrier gas. The Karl Fischer titration can be used for determining water content. A colour test for pyrrole as a contaminant is described by Biddiscombe et al. [J Ghent Soc 1957 1 954]. 

E. SCHOLZ, Karl Fischer Titration Determination of Water, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1984, 150 pp. 

To remove water, commercial ionic liquids used for fundamental research purposes should be dried at 60 °C in vacuo overnight. The water content should be checked prior to use. This can be done qualitatively by infrared spectroscopy or cyclovoltametric measurements, or quantitatively by Karl-Fischer titration. If the ionic liquids cannot be dried to zero water content for any reason, the water content should always be mentioned in all descriptions and documentation of the experiments to allow proper interpretation of the results obtained. 

The method is clearly confined to those cases where the test substance does not react with either of the components of the reagent, nor with the hydrogen iodide which is formed during the reaction with water the following compounds interfere in the Karl Fischer titration. 

Toluene and THF were purchased from Fisher Scientific and dried over 4A molecular sieves overnight prior to use. The water content of the solvents was <50 pg/mL by Karl Fischer titration. 

The checkers purchased [(COD)RuCl2]n from Fluka (purum quality), BINAP from Aldrich (97 %), and toluene (HPLC grade) and triethylamine (reagent grade) from Fisher Scientific the latter was distilled from CaH2 under Ar prior to use. The submitters dried toluene and triethylamine over 4 A molecular sieves. Karl-Fischer titration indicated <200 pg/mL water. 

The submitters obtained N-Boc-4-hydroxyproline methyl ester from Synthetech, Inc. [Albany, OR, (503) 967-6575] or Bachem California [Torrance, CA, (310) 530-1571] and dried THF over 4A molecular sieves for two days prior to use (Karl-Fischer titration gave 145 pg/mL water). The checkers purchased N-Boc hydroxyproline methyl ester (97%) and fert-butyl acetate (99+%) from Aldrich Chemical Co. and obtained THF (HPLC grade) from Fisher Scientific. 

Water content (Karl Fischer titration), and Salt content (NaCl and eventually Na2S04)... 

Karl Fischer titration. This titration procedure determines the concentration of water present in AOS samples containing 40-70 wt % water. In Karl Fischer titrations, each equivalent of base interferes as 18 g of water. Since AOS samples are basic, water values obtained must be corrected for side reactions of reagent with alkaline material. Alkalinity must be determined to correct for this error. 

Add sufficient water (normally 1 % w/w) to transform anhydrides to avoid pH drift of pastes (check by Karl Fischer titration)... 

Fischer titration may not be reliable for water concentration determination in the presence of highly hygroscopic electrolytes, e.g., LiCl/DMAc [119]. This conclusion has been also verified for TBAF/DMSO, by adding known amounts of water to the solvent system, followed by determination of the water content by Karl-Fischer titration. Whereas the added water ranged from 0.23 to 1.19 mol H, that determined by titration ranged from 0.21 to... 

The availability of water, i.e. the water activity, in a material is of great importance for its biological and biochemical properties. It depends both on the water content, and significantly on the nature of the structural bond of water molecules, in other words, how strongly they are retained by the matrix. Thus, for similar water contents, when determined by Karl Fischer titration, quite different water activities may be obtained for different materials. This is of paramount importance for RM stability. 

The water content should be and is increasingly determined during RM preparation by Karl Fischer titration. The principle of this method is that it quantifies water selectively by measuring the consumption of iodine. During the titration, iodine oxidizes methylsulfite, formed from methanol and sulfur dioxide in a first step, to methylsulfate under stoichiometric involvement of water. Complete reac-... 

Applications The coulometric Karl Fischer titration is a widely used moisture determination method (from ppm to 100%). In the presence of water, iodine reacts with sulfur dioxide through a redox process, as follows ... 

The water (moisture) content can rapidly and accurately be determined in polymers such as PBT, PA6, PA4.6 and PC via coulometric titration, with detection limits of some 20 ppm. Water produced during heating of PET was determined by Karl Fischer titration [536]. The method can be used for determining very small quantities of water (10p,g-15mg). Certified water standards are available. Karl Fischer titrations are not universal. The method is not applicable in the presence of H2S, mercaptans, sulfides or appreciable amounts of hydroperoxides, and to any compound or mixture which partially reacts under the conditions of the test, to produce water [31]. Compounds that consume or release iodine under the analysis conditions interfere with the determination. 

One of the most important applications of the dead-stop end-point method is the Karl Fischer titration of water the titrant usually consists of I2 amd S02 with pyridine in methanol, which reacts with H20 as follows ... 

Glacial acetic acid, pure or mixed with other solvents, is one of the most attractive solvents for the titration of amines. Commercial acetic acid containing not more than 1% of water (Karl Fischer titration check) can be used in normal practice for the highest accuracy, however, the water content must be lowered to about 0.01% by addition of acetic anhydride and standing for 24 h not more than the stoichiometric amount of acetic anhydride should be used in order to avoid possible reactions with active hydrogen-containing analyte components such as primary or secondary amines or alcohols. A similar procedure is followed in the preparation of perchloric acid titrant from the commercial... 

Although the DL 40 was capable of performing Karl Fischer water titrations and Mettler developed a separate microprocessor-controlled push-button operated DL 18 KF titrator, they also introduced as an all-purpose apparatus the improved DL 40 RC (see Fig. 5.11) with a dual titration head and with a modified software program to handle the new two-component titrants for Karl Fischer titration (see pp. 204-205). The instrument can also be expanded into an automatic series titrator by connecting the RT 40 sample transport for 16 samples and storage of 50 sample weights from a connected balance this series routine can be interrupted at any time after completion of the titration in progress. 

The n-butanol (99.7 mole% stated purity) was from Malinckrodt, and n-butoxyethanol (99+ % stated purity) was from Aldrich. Each was analyzed by gas chromatography for impurities and by Karl Fischer titration for water, and used without further purification. The water was distilled. 

Interpretation of measurements of methods X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (Janssen and van Espen [1986] Arnold et al. [1994]), X-ray diffraction spectra (Adler et al. [1993]), NMR spectra (HIPS, Wehrens et al. [1993a]), HPLC retention indices (RIPS, Wehrens [1994]), Karl Fischer titration (HELGA, Wunsch and Gansen [1989]). 

The produced bio oil was analyzed by GC-MS and Karl Fischer titration. The surface area of the spent catalyst was also measured. Regeneration of the spent catalyst was performed at 450°C for 2h in a muffle oven in the presence of air. The regenerated catalysts were characterized in a similar fashion as the fresh ones. 

Pyrolysis of pine wood biomass was conducted at 400°C followed by catalytic deoxygenation at 450°C. The yield of the different product phases was gravimetrically determined. The gas yield was calculated by the difference. The water content of the bio oil was measured by Karl Fischer titration. The yield of the different product phases is given in Table 3, calculated from the pyrolyzed biomass. The non-catalytic experiment was carried out in the same way as the catalytic ones with the exception that the upper catalyst bed was empty. 

C, shake flask-Karl Fischer titration, measured range 7-51°C, Lane 1946)... 

The near-IR technique has been used very successfully for moisture determination, whole tablet assay, and blending validation [23]. These methods are typically easy to develop and validate, and far easier to run than more traditional assay methods. Using the overtone and combination bands of water, it was possible to develop near-IR methods whose accuracy was equivalent to that obtained using Karl-Fischer titration. The distinction among tablets of differing potencies could be performed very easily and, unlike HPLC methods, did not require destruction of the analyte materials to obtain a result. 

Thermogravimetry (TG) is a measure of the thermally induced weight loss of a material as a function of the applied temperature [39], Thermogravimetric analysis is restricted to studies involving either a mass gain or loss, and it is most commonly used to study desolvation processes and compound decomposition. Thermogravimetric analysis is a very useful method for the quantitative determination of the total volatile content of a solid, and it can be used as an adjunct to Karl Fischer titrations for the determination of moisture. 

The amount of water present is fundamental to the stability of confectionery products. Unsurprisingly, therefore, measuring water content is an important exercise. Various methods are used. Some oven drying moisture content determinations are still carried out. This sort of work is difficult since the moisture contents are normally low and the samples can only be dried with difficulty. In particular, there are problems in drying the product in a reasonable time without charring it. Various other methods of water content determination are in use. One such is the Karl Fischer titration. 

Karl -Fischer titration for total H20 in original sample... 

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