Methods for determining traces of various elements in aluminum metal have been published, but no method has been available for determining traces of chlorine. The objective of the work undertaken was to apply our preliminary works of anion exchange in sodium hydroxide solution to the photometric determination of traces of chlorine in aluminum.
The recommended procedure is outlined as follows : 1 g of sample is dissolved in
ca. 30 m
l of 3
M sodium hydroxide solution and diluted to ca. 50 m
l with water. After filtration, the resulting solution is introduced onto a column of strongly basic anion exchange resin (Amberlite CG-400, OH-form, 100200 mesh, 12mmφ ×50 mm) at a flow rate of ca. 1.5 m/
lmin. The column was washed with 20 m
l each of 3 M sodium hydroxide solution and water, and then the absorbed chloride is eluted with 0.5
M ammonium nitrate solution. The first 15 m
l fraction of the effluent is discarded, and the following 15 m
l fraction is collected for the subsequent photometric determination.
The collected solution is neutralized with 1
M nitric acid using a bromo-thymol blue pH test paper. A 4 m
l aliquot of the solution is taken into a light-resistant separation funnel. 1 m
l of 0.05
M nitric acid, 1 m
l of the mixed reagent {0.05 m
M Hg (NO
3)
2 0.55 m
M KBr(1 : 1)}, 1 m
l of diphenylcarbazoneethanol solution (0.02 g/m
l), and 10 m
l of benzene are added successively.
After shaking for 1 min, the absorbance of the organic phase at 562 nm is measured. A blank is run through the entire procedure.
The calibration curve for the photometric determination is prepared with the standard solutions containing 07.5μg of chlorine and the same quantity of ammonium nitrate as in the sample solution.
A faster flow rate (for example, 2.5 m
l/min) in the ion exchange separation has influence on the efficiency of washing of the column with water, but not on the position of the elution band of the chlorine. Less than 35 mm of the column length produces the leakage and lower recovery of chlorine. The radio isotope, Cl-36 was used in all the experiments of the separation of chlorine in the sample as a tracer. The effects of foreign ions on the photometry are also described.
An analysis requires about 2 hrs. The present method can be applied to the determination of chlorine down to
ca. 1 ppm in aluminum.
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