Handling of electronic absorption spectra with a desk-top computer-II: calculation of stability constants from spectrophotometric titrations.

A fully automatic system for combined spectrophotometric and pH titrations was described in Part I. Its performance in the titration of weak acids and metal complexes is discussed, along with a computer program for numerical treatment of the data, based on Marquardt's modification of the Newton-Gauss non-linear least-squares method. The deprotonation of p-nitrophenol at concentrations of 4 x 10(-5) and 4 x 10(-6)M was studied in order to test the sensitivity. Results identical within the reproducibility of the pH-meter were obtained: pK(H) = 7.00 +/- 0.01 and 7.02 +/- 0.01, respectively. Three complexation reactions were studied: (1) the interaction of SCN(-) with the Co(2+) complex of 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetra-azacyclotetradecane (TMC); five independent experiments gave pK [CoTMC (SCN)(+) right harpoon over left harpoon CoTMC(2+) + SCN(-)] = 3.099 +/- 0.003: (2) the deprotonation of the Cu(2+) complex of 3,7-diazanonanediamide (DANA); five experiments gave pK (CuDANA(2+) right harpoon over left harpoon CuDANAH(+)(-1) + H(+)) = 7.14 +/- 0.01 and pK (CuDANAH(+)(-1) right harpoon over left harpoon CuDANAH(-2) + H(+)) = 8.38 +/- 0.01: (3) for the reaction of Cu(2+) with 1,3,7-triazacyclodecane (L), data from different ligand: metal ratios had to be combined to obtain pK (CuL(2+) right harpoon over left harpoon Cu(2+) + L) = 16.19 +/- 0.01, pK (CuL(2+)(2) right harpoon over left harpoon CuL(2+) + L) = 10.30 +/- 0.01, and pK (Cu(2)L(2) (OH)(2+)(2) right harpoon over left harpoon 2 CuL(2+) + 2 OH(-)) = 14.58 +/- 0.03. Titration curves with a total change in absorbance of as little as 0.03 units could be analysed satisfactorily, extending considerably the useful range of concentrations for spectrophotometric titrations. In combined spectrophotometric/pH titrations the accuracy of the glass electrode is normally the limiting factor. Other equilibrium constants can easily be reproduced with standard errors of less than 0.01 log unit.