A potentiometric study of the hydrolysis of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid to 150{degrees}C

Ethylenediaminetetraacetate anions, EDTA{sup 4-}, were titrated in a hydrogen-electrode concentration cell with an acidic titrant from 0 to 150{degrees}C at 25{degrees}C intervals. These titrations were carried out in the presence of 0. 1, 0.2, and 1.0 mol{center_dot}kg{sup -1} with the supporting electrolytes, sodium chloride, NaCl, and 1.0 mol{center_dot}kg{sup -1} tetramethylammonium trifluoromethylsulfonate, (CH{sub 3}){sub 4}N(F{sub 3}CSO{sub 3}) {l_brace}TMATFMS{r_brace} in order to assess the effect of both cation complexation by EDTA{sup 4-} and anion activity coefficient variations. The resulting hydrolysis quotients are discussed with reference to applications in boiler and heat exchanger chemical cleaning, as well as chemical and nuclear waste containment. Some recent diverse uses of this emf technique that also pertain to these applications will be mentioned briefly, e.g., surface absorption - zero-point-of-charge - measurements to high temperatures and in situ pH measurements in solubility and kinetic experiments.