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Acidity and conductivity as colloid microstate variables
Abstract
The effect of electrolyte type on the electrical and hydrodynamic properties of a colloidal system is examined. A commercial monodisperse polystyrene latex particle with carboxylic acid surface groups is studied in NaCl, KCl, NaNO 3 and KNO3 solutions by electrophoresis and photon correlation spectroscopy. The data is analyzed using electrophoretic and hydrodynamic fingerprinting. Fingerprinting involves plotting a physical property as a function of two colloidal microstate variables, pH and p[special characters omitted], the logarithm of the conductivity. Analysis of the fingerprints along with constant pH and constant p[special characters omitted] profiles show small variations among the four electrolytes. The fingerprints are related to their underlying surface chemistry. The discovery of a Line of Zero Mobility at low pH is attributed to protonation of the carboxyl group. An anomalous electrophoretic mobility maximum is observed in all electrolytes and found to be pH dependent. Comparison of the position of this maximum with [special characters omitted]R suggests electrophoretic relaxation may be a primary mechanism.
Subject Area
Chemistry|Polymers
Recommended Citation
Bishop, Richard John, "Acidity and conductivity as colloid microstate variables" (1999). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9920584.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9920584