Applications - Potentiometric Titrations

The potentiometric determination of an analyte s concentration is one of the most common quantitative analytical techniques. Perhaps the most frequently employed, routine quantitative measurement is the potentiometric determination of a solution s pH, a technique considered in more detail in the following discussion. Other areas in which potentiometric applications are important include clinical chemistry, environmental chemistry, and potentiometric titrations. Before considering these applications, however, we must first examine more closely the relationship between cell potential and the analyte s concentration, as well as methods for standardizing potentiometric measurements. 

C. Potentiometric methods. This is a procedure which depends upon measurement of the e.m.f. between a reference electrode and an indicator (redox) electrode at suitable intervals during the titration, i.e. a potentiometric titration is carried out. The procedure is discussed fully in Chapter 15 let it suffice at this stage to point out that the procedure is applicable not only to those cases where suitable indicators are available, but also to those cases, e.g. coloured or very dilute solutions, where the indicator method is inapplicable, or of limited accuracy. 

One of the most fruitful uses of potentiometry in analytical chemistry is its application to titrimetry. Prior to this application, most titrations were carried out using colour-change indicators to signal the titration endpoint. A potentiometric titration (or indirect potentiometry) involves measurement of the potential of a suitable indicator electrode as a function of titrant volume. The information provided by a potentiometric titration is not the same as that obtained from a direct potentiometric measurement. As pointed out by Dick [473], there are advantages to potentiometric titration over direct potentiometry, despite the fact that the two techniques very often use the same type of electrodes. Potentiometric titrations provide data that are more reliable than data from titrations that use chemical indicators, but potentiometric titrations are more time-consuming. 

In fact, any type of titration can be carried out potentiometrically provided that an indicator electrode is applied whose potential changes markedly at the equivalence point. As the potential is a selective property of both reactants (titrand and titrant), notwithstanding an appreciable influence by the titration medium [aqueous or non-aqueous, with or without an ISA (ionic strength adjuster) or pH buffer, etc.] on that property, potentiometric titration is far more important than conductometric titration. Moreover, the potentiometric method has greater applicability because it is used not only for acid-base, precipitation, complex-formation and displacement titrations, but also for redox titrations. 

Subsequently, Bos and Dahmen used in m-cresol65 (e = 12.29 at 25° C) a potentiometric titration method combined with conductometry. Essential precautions were the preparation of water-free m-cresol (<0.01% of water), the use of a genuine Bronsted base B, e.g., tetramethylguanidine (TMG), and the application of a glass electrode combined with an Ag-AgCl reference electrode filled with a saturated solution of Me4NCl in m-cresol. The ion product of the self-dissociation of m-cresol, Ks, was determined from the part beyond the equivalence point of the potentiometric titration curve of HBr with TMG comparison with titration curves calculated with various Ka values showed the best fit for Ks = 2 10 19... 

Conductometric titrations. Van Meurs and Dahmen25-30,31 showed that these titrations are theoretically of great value in understanding the ionics in non-aqueous solutions (see pp. 250-251) in practice they are of limited application compared with the more selective potentiometric titrations, as a consequence of the low mobilities and the mutually less different equivalent conductivities of the ions in the media concerned. The latter statement is illustrated by Table 4.7108, giving the equivalent conductivities at infinite dilution at 25° C of the H ion and of the other ions (see also Table 2.2 for aqueous solutions). However, in practice conductometric titrations can still be useful, e.g., (i) when a Lewis acid-base titration does not foresee a well defined potential jump at an indicator electrode, or (ii) when precipitations on the indicator electrode hamper its potentiometric functioning. 

Vol. 66 Solid Phase Biochemistry Analytical and Synthetic Aspects. Edited by William H. Scouten Vol. 67 An Introduction to Photoelectron Spectroscopy. By Pradip K. Ghosh Vol. 68 Room Temperature Phosphorimetry for Chemical Analysis. By Tuan Vo-Dinh Vol. 69 Potentiometry and Potentiometric Titrations. By E. P. Serjeant Vol. 70 Design and Application of Process Analyzer Systems. By Paul E. Mix Vol. 71 Analysis of Organic and Biological Surfaces. Edited by Patrick Echlin Vol. 72 Small Bore Liquid Chromatography Columns Their Properties and Uses. Edited by Raymond P.W. Scott... 

Electrode Systems. Direct Potentiometric Measurements. Potentiometric Titrations. Null -point Potentiometry. Applications of Potentiometry. 

Applications of potentiometric titrations in pharmaceutical analysis 16.4.1 Cognate assays... 

Selig reported a potentiometric titration method for the analysis of procaine and some other organic cations precipitated by tetraphenylborate [67]. The development of ion selective coated-wire electrodes, and their application in the titration of procaine and other pharmaceutically important substances, was reported [68]. 

Table 5), and several are now being used, or are potentially useful, for measuring key ocean elements. The most common use of direct potentiometry (as compared with potentiometric titrations) is for measurement of pH (Culberson, 1981). Most other cation electrodes are subject to some degree of interference from other major ions. Electrodes for sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium have been used successfully. Copper, cadmium, and lead electrodes in seawater have been tested, with variable success. Anion-selective electrodes for chloride, bromide, fluoride, sulfate, sulfide, and silver ions have also been tested but have not yet found wide application. 

Potentiometric titration is a commonly used technique determination (Albert and Serjeant, 1984). The PCA101 chemical analyzer, developed and manufactured by Sirius Analytical Instruments Ltd., is the rst commercial instrument designed specilly to determine ionization constants (Avdeef, 1993). The theory and applications of the method have been discussed byAvdeef (Avdeef, 1993), and the reader is directed to that excellent review for a detailed discussion. 

The conductometric titration method has several advantages over the potentiometric titration method. It is applicable in a straight forward manner, without back titration or other modifications, to the determination of TBN for a wide range of petroleum products including fresh and heavily used oils. The conductometric method is quick and easy to perform, with two intersecting lines at the equivalent point, also contamination of electrodes is eliminated. The... 

Use of the potential of a galvanic cell to measure the concentration of an electroactive species developed later than a number of other electrochemical methods. In part this was because a rational relation between the electrode potential and the concentration of an electroactive species required the development of thermodynamics, and in particular its application to electrochemical phenomena. The work of J. Willard Gibbs1 in the 1870s provided the foundation for the Nemst equation.2 The latter provides a quantitative relationship between potential and the ratio of concentrations for a redox couple [ox l[red ), and is the basis for potentiometry and potentiometric titrations.3 The utility of potentiometric measurements for the characterization of ionic solutions was established with the invention of the glass electrode in 1909 for a selective potentiometric response to hydronium ion concentrations.4 Another milestone in the development of potentiometric measurements was the introduction of the hydrogen electrode for the measurement of hydronium ion concentrations 5 one of many important contributions by Professor Joel Hildebrand. Subsequent development of special glass formulations has made possible electrodes that are selective to different monovalent cations.6"8 The idea is so attractive that intense effort has led to the development of electrodes that are selective for many cations and anions, as well as several gas- and bioselective electrodes.9 The use of these electrodes and the potentiometric measurement of pH continue to be among the most important applications of electrochemistry. 

Although potentiometric measurements frequendy are applied as a means of endpoint detection in potentiometric titrations, the purpose of this volume is not to review the many titradon procedures that utilize potentiometric measurements. However, a brief summary of the species that can be monitored through the use of potentiometric measurements will illustrate the potential applications. 

The subject of potentiometric titrations has been exhaustively treated by the classic monograph by Kolthoff and Furman.1 Although the second edition was published in 1931, it is still the definitive work. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print, but it is available in many chemical libraries. A complete and thorough discussion of the principles and theory of potentiometric titrations is provided, together with an extremely extensive summary of the many applications of potentiometric measurements. 

A related form of an automatic potentiometric titrator is instrumentation that permits the maintenance of the acidity or basicity of a solution over a period of time. Such devices are known as pH-stats, and find application in kinetic studies of hydrolysis reactions. The general approach is (by either manual or automatic means) to add either acid or base such that the pH in the solution is maintained constant over a period of time. Normally the amount of acid or base added as a function of time is sought in order that kinetic measurements may be made for the system. In its simplest form the acidity of the solution is monitored with a pH meter and controlled at a preselected value by the addition of acid or base from a burette the quantity delivered as a function of time is recorded in a notebook. Obviously for the fast reactions this becomes difficult and dependent on the dexterity of the individual. 

The structure electrical double layer at the silica-aqueous electrolyte interface was one of the earlier examined of the oxide systems. At the beginning the investigations were performed with application of electrokinetic methods next, with potentiometric titrations. The properties of this system were very important for flotation in mineral processing. Measurements proved that pHpZC and pHiep are equal to 3, but presence of some alkaline or acidic contaminants may change the position of these points on pH scale. Few examples, concerning edl parameters are shown in Table 3. Presented data concern a group of systems of different composition of the liquid phase and solid of a different origin. The latest measurements of this system takes into account the kinetics of the silica dissolution [152], and at zeta measurements, also the porosity of dispersed solid [155]. 

Application and Principle This procedure is used to determine the phospholipase A2 activity from extracts of porcine pancreatic tissue. The analysis is performed by potentiometric titration. 

Acoustic methods offer several advantages when compared to other comparable techniques (1) applicable to concentrated suspensions (2) less sensitive to particulate contamination (3) better suited to polydisperse suspensions (4) applicable to a wide size range (5) well suited to automated potentiometric titrations and analysis... 

Lisensky, G. Reynolds, K. Chloride in Natural Waters—An Environmental Application of a Potentiometric Titration, J. Chem. Educ. 1991, 68, 334-335. 

An extensive summary of applications of fluoride ion-selective electrodes to thermodynamic studies of fluoride complexes and analysis by direct potentiometry and potentiometric titrations has been presented by Buck. ... 

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