A lead-207 nuclear magnetic resonance study of the complexation of lead by carboxylic acids and aminocarboxylic acids

Abstract

The complexation of Pb(II) by carboxylic acids and aminocarboxylic acids was studied by 207Pb NMR. The results indicate that the 207Pb chemical shift provides a sensitive probe of the aqueous coordination chemistry of Pb(II). A single, exchange-averaged resonance is observed for lead in solutions containing Pb(NO 3) 2 and pivalic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, or chloroacetic acid, the chemical shift of which is sensitive to the Pb(NO 3) 2 to carboxylic acid ratio and to solution pH. Formation constants for the Pb(II)-carboxylate complexes were determined by fitting the chemical shift data to a model involving the complexes and ligand protonation. Chemical shift data for solutions containing Pb(NO 3) 2 and glycine, histidine, or glycylglycine indicate complexation of Pb(II) by the zwitterionic forms of these ligands. Formation constants for these complexes, which are difficult to study by other methods, were also determined from the chemical shift data. Complexation of Pb(II) by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, N-hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, and N-methyliminodiacetic acid causes a large deshielding of the 207Pb nucleus, e.g., the resonance for the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid complex is deshielded by 2350 ppm. The chemical shift of the lead in these complexes is sensitive to protonation of the complex and to the formation of mixed complexes containing hydroxide ion.