Successive determination of praseodymium and ytterbium by coulometric complexometric titration

Abstract

A method is described for the successive coulometric complexometric titration of microgram levels of light and heavy rare earth elements. The total amount of light and heavy rare earth elements is titrated by electrogenerating titrant EDTA on the mercury pool as a cathode. Then, the mercury pool is switched as an anode, electrogenerating Hg/sup 2 +/, and is used to titrate EDTA which is displaced from its light rare earth elements complex by malic acid that has been added prior to the electrogenerating Hg/sup 2 +/. The heavy rare earth elements can be determined from the total rare earth elements minus the result of displacement titration of EDTA which is equivalent to the light rare earth elements. A 10-30 ..mu..g sample of light and heavy rare earth elements (Pr and Yb, La and Lu, Nd and Tm) can be determined successively. Errors and standard deviation are not more than 2.5% and 0.20, respectively. 2 tables, 5 figures.