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The chalcocite copper membrane electrode.
A Hulanicki1, M Trojanowicz, M Cichy
1Institute of Fundamental Problems in Chemistry, University, Warsaw, Poland.
Talanta
|January 1, 1976
Summary
A synthetic chalcocite (Cu2S) electrode selectively detects copper(I) ions in solution. This membrane electrode is effective for copper titrations, showing high accuracy in various complexing conditions.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Development of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) is crucial for accurate chemical analysis.
- Chalcocite (Cu2S) based electrodes offer potential for copper ion detection.
- Understanding copper speciation in solution is vital for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the performance of a synthetic chalcocite (Cu2S) single crystal membrane electrode.
- To evaluate the electrode's selectivity for copper(I) ions over copper(II) ions.
- To assess the electrode's applicability in complexometric titrations of copper.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of a Cu2S single crystal membrane electrode.
- Determination of experimental selectivity coefficients.
- Calibration using metal-ion buffers with TETREN (1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane).
- Application in potentiometric titrations with EDTA and TETREN.
- Comparison with theoretical titration curves generated by HALTAFALL software.
Main Results:
- The Cu2S electrode exhibits primary response to copper(I) ion activity.
- Experimental selectivity coefficients align with theoretical calculations based on solubility products.
- The electrode functions effectively as an indicator in copper titrations with TETREN and EDTA.
- Good agreement between experimental and calculated titration curves for TETREN, with discrepancies for EDTA attributed to Cu(I) complexation.
- Accurate titrations with errors below 1% were achieved.
Conclusions:
- The synthetic chalcocite (Cu2S) electrode is a reliable sensor for copper(I) ions.
- Its performance in complexometric titrations is validated, particularly with strongly complexing ligands like TETREN.
- The study highlights the importance of considering copper speciation in EDTA titrations.
- The electrode demonstrates practical utility in quantitative copper analysis.
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