Abstract

In this work, we report the formation of multilayers on the platinum electrode during the potentiometric titration of hexadecyltrithiocarbonate (HDTTC) with mercuric ions. The titration was carried out using universal buffer as the buffering agent in order to study the influence of the pH on the titrimetric analysis. Moreover, various concentrations of sodium acetate and sodium carbonate were employed to find out the effect of the ionic strength on the titrimetric analysis. In case of universal buffer, in lower pH (8-11) the recoveries of HDTTC were found to be 150%, which is an indicative of the formation of polynuclear complex. The formed deposits were studied by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and elemental diffaraction analysis by X-rays (EDAX). An attempt was made to explain the formation of multilayers on to the platinum electrode.

Keywords

Multilayers, SEM, Potentiometric titrations, Platinum electrode