The pKas of Phosphate Salts


Class: BE210
Group: R3
Members:

FACILITATOR………………………..Tony Chen

TIME & TASK KEEPER………………Luan Vo
 
 SCRIBE………………………………..Deepak Kollali

 PRESENTER………………………….Hughie Choe



Date: May, 2002

Full Text

Abstract:
The values of pKa2 and pKa3 for phosphate salts were determined to within 1% of literature values using titrations and the equal molar quantity method, along with a Fisher Scientific Accumet Model 625 pH meter. Experimentally, pKa3 was determined by extrapolation using the equal molar quantity method and subsequent dilutions. pKa2 was accurately obtained two ways: the same method employed in the determination of pKa3 and by plotting a pKa vs. Sqrt(I) graph for the high ionic strength titrations (I=1.09 M to1.24 M).  The latter method yielded the smaller 95% confidence interval, but the results were untrustworthy and may be a coincidence since the application of the Debye-Hückel equation is not intended for ionic strengths greater than 0.1 M.  The final experimental value of pKa2 of phosphate salts was found to be 7.243 ± 1.166 with 95% confidence and pKa3 was found to be 12.265 ± 5.079 also with 95% confidence.  The pKa2 and pKa3 values had percent errors of 0.46% and 0.45%, respectively, to their literature values of 7.21 and 12.32.