Hydrolysis of methyltin(IV) trichloride in aqueous NaCl and NaNO3 solutions at different ionic strengths and temperatures

The hydrolysis of methyltin(IV) trichloride (CH 3 SnCl 3 ) has been studied in aqueous NaCl and NaNO 3 solutions (0 < l/mol dm -3 ≤1), at different temperatures (15 ≤ T/°C ≤ 45) by potentiometric measurements (H + -glass electrode). By considering the generic hydrolytic reaction pCH 3 Sn 3+ + qH 2 O = (CH 3 Sn) p (OH) q 3p-q +qH + (logβ pq ), we have the formation of five species and logβ 12 = -3.36, logβ 13 = -8.99, logβ 14 = -20.27 and logβ 25 = -7.61. The first hydrolysis step is measurable only at very low pH values and was not determined: a rough estimate of the hydrolysis constant is logβ 11 = -1.5 (± 0.5). The dependence on ionic strength of logβ pq is quite different in NaNO 3 and NaCl solutions, and the formation at low pH values of the species CH 3 Sn(OH)Cl - has been found with logβ = -1.40. Hydrolysis constants strongly depend on temperature and from the relationships logβ pq = f(T), ΔH o values have been calculated. Speciation problems of CH 3 Sn 3+ in aqueous solution are discussed.