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Patrones D Esulfuro
Patrones D Esulfuro
MEASUREMENT METHODOLOGY
CNT_ISE C32 (Sulfide ions/S2‐ )
The sulfide ion is the lowest oxidation form of sulfur (S). Is a divalent ion that only exists in
strongly alkaline aqueous medias. Sulfide concentration is unappreciable at a pH less than 13.
Also, sulfide ion is easily oxidated. Due to this reason, it's necessary to make an exhaustive
control of the measurement conditions in order to achieve reliable readings.
Required conditions
For the unstability of sulphide ions, the sensor running must be done under buffered
conditions:
1) NaOH 4M (10%) Æ 0.4 M NaOH media
2) SAOB* (Sulfide antioxidant buffer) (50%)
*Recommended by NT Sensors to achieve better performance.
SAOB preparation
Can be prepared by adding 250 ml of NaOH 4M to 200 ml of DI water. Then add 17.6 g
of Ascorbic acid and 37.2 g of Disodium‐EDTA dihydrate and shake well the mixture.
Transfer to a 500 ml flask and add the remaining DI water to fill it.
SAOB must be stored in a well closed bottle and at low temperatures (fridge). Even so,
it change the colour gradually to a dark brown, when it lose their utility.
Calibration solutions
Usually, Na2S∙9H2O is the reagent used to make the sulfide standards. It should be known that
precise sulphide standards are difficult to make and keep because their high and variable
water of crystallization and their ease to oxitadion. Thus, is recommended that the solutions
are made fresh by the analyst.
To prepare the solutions, it must weigh the reagent and add it into a SAOB solution (50%),
then shake the mixture until reagent is completely dissolved.
Due the uncertainty of the exact concentration of sulphide in standards, regarding the water of
crystallization and oxidation, if you need accurate measurements, is necessary to standardize
the calibration solutions in order to know the real concentration.
Standardization of solutions
Sulfide solutions can be calibrated by titration with 0.1M of lead perchlorate or cadmium
nitrate with the sulphide sensor. Plot a graph of measured electrode potential against volume
of titrant. As the titrant is added, the S concentration will fall and the mV reading will increase.
The end point will be when there is a big jump in mV for only a very small extra addition of
titrant. This can be explained as follows: if the starting solution is really around 1000ppm then
adding titrant to reduce this to 100ppm will cause an increase in signal of about 26mV (the
electrode slope). A further reduction to 10ppm will require much less titrant but will also cause
a ~26mV increase. So, the last few drops of titrant to mop up the remaining S will reduce the
concentration again by more than an order of magnitude and hence cause a further big
increase in mV.
The concentration of the standard is the volume of titrant used (ml) multiplied by 64. The basis
of the calculation is that every 1 ml of titrant contains 0.0001 moles of Pb (or Cd) and this is
equivalent to removing 0.0001 moles of S. Mol Wt of S is 32g. So total S removed is mls x 3.2
mg. Thus the ppm concentration in the titrated 50 mls of solution is that figure multiplied by
20.
Sample preparation
To achieve reliable results, samples should be taken with a minimum aeration to avoid the
oxidation and loss of sulfide. For a better preservation, it should be added Zinc acetate 2M (4
drops=0.2 ml) and NaOH 4M (2 drops=0.1 ml), and mix with SAOB (50%) before measurement.
If NaOH (10%, 4M) is the only available, do not use zinc acetate.
Measurement hints
The samples and the calibration solutions must have the same buffered background (SAOB
50%), you must mix it well before measurement.
Calibration can be carried by known standards readings in order to make the curve calibration.
The adquisition time of mV readings, should be around 2 minutes.
Between samples and standards, sensor must be washed shaking well into DI water for few
seconds and then dried. After introduce the sensor into a new sample, it should shake it and
wait until the signal is stable (2 or 3 minutes)
For a better precision, NT Sensors recommend to calibrate the electrode frequently.
Safety & Handling
At pH lower than 13 and due the air contact, sulfide forms volatile compounds that produce
noxious fumes. So, sulfide measurements should be done in a well ventilated area or in a fume
cupboard.
Measurement conditions require to use concentrated NaOH (4M). Sodium hydroxide solutions
may cause chemical burns in the skin and blindness by eye contact. It must be handling with
care and using protective equipments.