The stability constants of ethylenediphosphinetetraacetate complexes

Abstract

The stability constants of complexes formed by the anions of ethylenediphosphinetetraacetic acid and the metal ions Cu(I), Ag(I), Ca(II), Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), Pb(II) and La(III) were determined by various methods (mainly potentiometry and UV-VIS spectrophotometry), followed by data treatment using standard computer programs. The type and stability of the complexes formed depend mostly on the relative affinity of the particular metal ion for the two donor groups of the ligand. Unlike EDTA, the ligand is highly selective for soft metal ions, whose complexes are very stable even in strongly acidic aqueous solutions.