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Chemistry Forums for Students => Analytical Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: danteOne on June 25, 2016, 06:40:41 PM

Title: Cheap way to determine the oxalate concentration in a solution.
Post by: danteOne on June 25, 2016, 06:40:41 PM

I am running an experiment that requires the determination of the oxalate concentration in an aqueous solution. The solution also contains a bunch of other stuff including some cells, trace minerals and trace amounts of EDTA. Currently we are using an oxalate assay kit, which appears to work, but it is very expensive (around $500 per box). This means that we are wasting a lot of our money on this kit rather than on other things that could be much more useful.
 It is not clear to me what instruments we have access to. I know that we have some voltammetry stuff and a spectrophotometer. I want to try some Raman spectroscopy but I don't know anyone who has that and before I ask anyone else I want to make sure I am not crazy.

What would be the best way to figure out the oxalate concentration in an aqueous solution?

Title: Re: Cheap way to determine the oxalate concentration in a solution.
Post by: Arkcon on June 25, 2016, 08:21:43 PM

You could titrate oxalate with potassium permanganate.  Its a pretty straightforward titration.  He's an online PDF to a classroom exercise: http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/OxalateTitration.pdf

Title: Re: Cheap way to determine the oxalate concentration in a solution.
Post by: danteOne on July 19, 2016, 03:32:15 PM

I will try this. Thank you for the info.