Coulometric techniques

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Volumetric or Coulometric What is the difference? Detection system is the same for each method - only difference is the means by which the active ingredient (Iodine) is introduced. In the volumetric technique the iodine is introduced via a burette or similar dosing system. In the coulometric technique the iodine is produced in-situ by electrolysis. Volumetric technique is generally better suited to high water contents and is most widely used in food, agriculture, industries. Coulometry, being 1000 times more sensitive, is better for low water content determination. The volumetric technique involves dissolving a sample in a suitable solvent and adding measured quantities of a reagent containing iodine until an end point is reached. This end point is determined potentiometrically using a platinum electrode. The iodine concentration of volumetric Karl Fischer reagents must be checked using standards. In the coulometric technique the required amount of iodine is produced at the anode which then reacts with any water present. The production of iodine is directly proportional to the amount of electricity. No reagent calibration / standardisation is required. According to the stoichiometry of the reaction, 1 mole of iodine will react with 1 mole of water, and combining this with coulometry, 1 milligram of water is equivalent to 10.71 coulombs of electricity. It is therefore possible to directly determine the amount of water present in a sample by measuring the electrolysis current in coulombs. What is a coulometric Karl Fischer titration? Karl Fischer titration is simply a means to measure water content of samples. Modern instruments, such as the Aquamax KF, use the coulometric principle, whereby the water present in the sample is coulometrically titrated to a predefined end point at which there is a minute excess of free iodine present. Stoichiometrically, 1 mole of water will react with 1 mole of iodine, so that 1 milligram of water is equivalent to 10.71 coulombs of electricity. Combining the coulometric technique with Karl Fischer titration, Aquamax KF titrators determine the water content of the sample by measuring the amount of electrolysis current necessary to produce the required iodine. This is an absolute technique which does not require calibration of the reagents.

COULOMETRY
Coulometry is the name given to a group of techniques in Analytical Chemistry. Coulometry is an analytical technique in which electrolysis reaction is used to quantify an amount of matter by measuring the amount of electricity consumed or produced in coulombs during the reaction. electrolysis is a method of using an electric current to drive an otherwise nonspontaneous chemical reaction.

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