pH-stat titration of aluminum hydroxide gel

The pH-stat titration of aluminum hydroxide gel was evaluated and was affected by pH, temperature, concentration, and ionic strength. Control of these parameters resulted in a highly sensitive and reproducible in vitro antacid test. The utility of the pH-stat test was illustrated by monitoring the aging of several carbonate-containing aluminum hydroxide gels and by comparing the antacid properties as measured by the pH-stat titration, the acid-consuming capacity, the Rossett-Rice test, and the test proposed by the food and Drug Administration Drug Evaluation Panel. The pH-stat titration also was useful for relatively nonreactive aluminum hydroxide gels. The use of sodium fluoride as the reaction medium extended the capability of the pH-stat titration to monitor the aging of chloride-containing gels. The pH-stat titrigram was interpreted in terms of a previously published polymer model of the structure of a chloride-containing aluminum hydroxide gel. The acid reactivity of relatively nonreactive gel is believed to be due totally to the chemical neutralization of acid, because the milliequivalents of aluminum ion appearing in solution is the same as the milliequivalents of acid neutralized throughout the ph-stat titration.