Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4535513 | Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers | 2006 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
The precision of spectrophotometric measurements of indicator absorbance ratios is sufficient to allow evaluation of small isotopically induced differences in the dissociation constant of boric acid (KB). The quotient of 11KB and 10KB, obtained using isotopically ⩾99% pure borate/boric acid buffers, provides an equilibrium constant for the reaction 10B(OH)3+11B(OH)4ââ11B(OH)3+10B(OH)4â which heretofore had not been experimentally determined. Previous theoretical and semi-empirical evaluations of this equilibrium, which is important for assessments of the paleo-pH of seawater and the paleo-pCO2 of the atmosphere, have yielded constants, 11-10KB=10KB/11KB, that have ranged between 1.0194 and approximately 1.033. The experimentally determined value 11-10KB=1.0285±0.0016 (mean±95% confidence interval) obtained at 25 °C and 0.63 molal (mol kgâ1 H2O) ionic strength is in much better agreement with recent theoretical assessments of 11-10KB that have ranged between 1.026 and 1.033, than the much-cited original estimate (1.0194) of Kakihana et al. (1977) [Fundamental studies on the ion-exchange separation of boron isotopes. Bulletin of Chemical Society of Japan 50, 158-163]. Since the activity quotient for the fractionation reaction is almost equal to unity, it is expected that the 11-10KB value obtained in this study will be applicable over a wide range of solution compositions and ionic strengths.
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Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Geology
Authors
Robert H. Byrne, Wensheng Yao, Kateryna Klochko, John A. Tossell, Alan J. Kaufman,