Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, Vol.54, No.2, 286-293, 2009
Medium Effects and Determination of Primary and Secondary Standards for pH Measurements in (Glycerol plus Water) Solvent Media at Normal and Subzero Temperatures, With Characterization of Appropriate Salt Bridges
The primary and the secondary standards for the pH measurements in solvent media Z = (glycerol [G] + water [W]) at glycerol mass fractions w(G) up to 0.4 and at temperatures from -10 degrees C to +40 degrees C have been determined in compliance with the IUPAC criteria. To this purpose, Harned's reversible cell {Pt vertical bar H(2)vertical bar Primary Buffer + KCl in Z vertical bar AgCl parallel to Ag vertical bar Pt} and Baucke's nonreversible cell {Pt vertical bar H(2)vertical bar Buffer at pHps in Z vertical bar Salt Bridge in Z vertical bar Buffer at pH(SS) in Z vertical bar H(2)vertical bar Pt} were used, respectively. As a result, three primary standards (based on the "carbonate", the "equimolal phosphate", and the "phthalate" buffers) and three secondary standards (based on the "tetroxalate", the "tartrate", and the "unequimolal phosphate" buffers) are now available. Their internal consistency was ascertained through the linear pH dependence of the voltage of the cell {Pt vertical bar H(2) vertical bar Buffer at pHps [or pH(SS)] in ZlNH(4)Cl Bridge in Z vertical bar Reference Electrode). These acquisitions enable the user to perform routine pHx measurements by the regular operational cell f Reference Electrode vertical bar Salt Bridge in ZISample at pH, or Standard at pHps [or pH(SS)] in Z vertical bar Glass Electrode), with preliminary calibration by the two-standard scheme or the multistandard scheme. As indispensable components to be selected for insertion in the above operational pH cell to abate the intervening liquid junction potentials, four salt bridges (NH(4)Cl, RbCl, CsCl, and KCI in Z) have been characterized by the transference cell method: the most appropriate and recommendedl of them is the saturated NH(4)Cl bridge. The comparability of pH scales in (glycerol + water) with the pH scale in pure water is discussed in terms of the relevant autoprotolysis constants pK(AP) for the scale widths and of the primary medium effects of the H(+) transfer for the relative positions of zero-points of pH scales.