Enquires!

"Titration."

This is a large topic, more a process than a piece of equipment. Alas, it cannot be explicated in a few marginal notes.

Hi all,

Does anyone know if there is a chemical ratio tester?

For example, If I make a chemical tank, HF - HNO3 - Di, after 1 week, I want to check what is the ratio of the chemical(chemical concentration)? Want to check if the chemical is as strong as before. Does anyone know where can I buy the equipment?

Thanks :)

This topic has been covered before.

It still depends largely upon the wetted materials of the tank and whether or not it is covered or sealed in some way, owing to the highly aggressive nature of the liquid in the tank.

Titration is a technique, not a piece of equipment. That is what testing laboratories are for. If a laboratory with sufficient capability in absent from the facility, the service can be hired-in.

they have been tring to do this for the standardization with milk for years........with varying degrees of success p911

The easiest way of checking the concentration is by using ion specific electrodes for fluoride and nitrate. They work in the same way as a pH electrode. Total ionic strength adjuster will be needed, and it is likely that the sample will have to be diluted. Some knowledge of chemistry is needed, but it is relatively inexpensive

As others have mentioned, ion chromatography will also work, but is very expensive and requires greater knowledge than the electrodes.

Hi Tad,

GA - well written.

For this application, and with the OPs knowlege of chemistry (or lack thereof), I think it would be easiest for him to send in samples for analysis.

The ion-selective electrode idea is good for someone who knows what they are doing. A simpler solution done in-house might be to use Hach colorimetry methods for fluoride and nitrate ions. Samples may have to be diluted, but even so, I think (now that I remember working with these before), that these would be perfect for stevepohgh.

Mike

What exactly are you trying to measure? Acidity? Or the amount F- and NO3-? If you're looking for total acidity, then a titration or simple pH measurement is your best bet. I don't know if you can separate the relative contributions of the HF and HNO3 to the total acidity. Using ion chromatography or ion selective electrodes will simply tell you how much of each ion is in solution, not the form. For instance, a solution of NaNO3 will be seen as the same concentration as HNO3.

Hi steve

Because I have no idea were you are I can only tell you what I would do. I would go to the next Uni and go to their chemical faculty. You'll find it by smell. Then I would ask to be led around and given a rundown on their diagnostic tools. They might have the mother of them all (to big a 'function monster' to go into detail here.)

When you then ask them what it would cost and they look at you in a funny way, then you know that the time for asking them to do it for you has come. If it is about the chemicals you mentioned only, then they could tell you what they would do. For exact measurements you need exact tools and they are not cheap and impossible for the untrained to handle.

Many years ago I thought of buying an electron microscope. I needed to find things out in minute detail. I soon found that it was not something one can buy on E bay (There was no such thing back then). Needles to say I could not afford one today although all it does is magnify and record. It gets complex real fast.

How long is a piece of string? It's exactly 385.132mm. I measured it the other day, because I can, Ky

May be some spectroscopy - preferably Absorption Spectroscopy (the Emission Spectro is better for solids since the required excitation energy is likely to convert the solution to solids)

No.

We have yet to be able to combine all chemical analysis equipment into one single device. One day we maybe able to produce a tricorder like this, but that will be so many years in the future. Today everything depends on knowing the chemicals of interest and then choosing whatever analysis that will suit. The most common analysis used is titration that others have brought up. In the case that you've indicated you have Nitric acid (HNO₃), Hydrofluoric acid (HF) and what I assume is deionized water (DI). Since the Ionization constants for the two acids are ≈20 and 7.2E-4 respective you might be able to track the concentrations of the acids combined in respect to water by measuring the pH. This will be valid only for as long as both acids are completely dissociated.

Now if you have a potential chemical reaction that will precipitate one and only one of the acid ions, and your concerns are the concentration ratio between the two acids well that will be considerably more difficult to track, because of the unknown chemical reaction.

pH alone will not give the concentration of either acid (when combined), or the ratio of concentrations. It is possible for the concentration of one acid to go up while the concentration of the other goes down, and the pH will remain the same.

However, it may be possible to due the analysis using titration with a pH electrode as an indicator.

There is, but not the way you think (I think).

Test for levels of Fluoride and Nitrate with an Ion Chromatograph. This will give you the relative amount of each that you can compare with the original concentrations.

There are other methods; HPLC, wet chemical. Hmmm, come to think of it, you may be able to use UV-Vis spectroscopy as well.

I would contact a local lab that can test quantitatively for anions. They will have the necessary equipment.

the company i work for makes exactly what you are looking for. send me PM and i will talk to you. after readin your latest post it may be more complicated than what you require, and too expensive ?

it is a full featured reaction analysis system for the most demanding reaction monitoring applications. it is the ideal reaction monitoring platform for the chemist or chemical engineer faced with the challenge of monitoring reactions across a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions, and is ideal for kinetics and quantitative analysis.

http://mt.emea.acrobat.com/p10167395/