Thermometric titrimetry is one of a number of instrumental titration techniques where endpoints can be located accurately and precisely without a subjective interpretation on the part of the analyst.
Titration is a technique in analytical chemistry with a history dating to the mid-18th century. It may be defined as the reaction of a known volume of a reactant with a known concentration (the titrant) with another reactant contained in a sample (the analyte or titrand) to determine the amount of the analyte in the sample. The point at which stoi- chiometric amounts of titrant have been added to the sample is known as the equivalence point. The volume of titrant measured at this point is used to compute the amount of analyte present in the sample.
The classical titration methods employ color change due to chemical indicators to determine the endpoint. The practical problems in the correct, unequivocal determination of endpoints based on the subjective interpretation of color change by the analyst have been recognized for many years, and analysts have sought alternative methods of precisely determining endpoints.
Practical thermometric titrimetry
Thermometric titrimetry is one of a number of instrumental titration techniques where endpoints can be located accurately and precisely without a subjective interpretation on the part of the analyst. Enthalpy change is a universal property of chemical reactions. Accordingly, the observation of temperature change is a valid possibility for monitoring their progress.
Metrohm’s monograph “Practical thermometric titrimetry”commences with a brief discussion of some theoretical aspects of thermometric titrimetry followed by some practical considerations and finally by an introduction to some of the many applications.