Determination of the specific surface area of silica gel by on-column titration with hydrochloric acid

Abstract

Specific surface areas of silica gel packings could be determined by an on-column acid—base titration method. Silica gel materials packed in microcolumns were equilibrated with sodium hydrogencarbonate, followed by titration with hydrocloric acid. The effluents from the columns were monitored by an electrical conductivity detector and the end-points were determined from the breakthrough curves. The breakthrough volume was linearly dependent on the surface area per unit volume of the packings or on the total surface area of the column.