Published experimental thermodynamic data at 298.15 K for aqueous
mixtures of H2Ph, KHPh, and KCl,
of KHPh, K2Ph, and KCl, and of KHPh and KCl, where
H2Ph means phthalic acid, KHPh potassium
hydrogen phthalate, and K2Ph dipotassium phthalate,
were used to test the methods for calculation of
the pH values of phthalate buffer solutions. Equations for ionic
activity coefficients are used in these
methods. It is shown that all data used, up to an ionic strength
of about 0.5 mol kg-1, can be
predicted
almost within experimental error by two methods. In one of these
methods, equations of the modified
Guggenheim type are used for ionic activity coefficients, and in the
other equations of the Pitzer type are
used. Several sets of phthalate buffer solutions are suggested in
the pH range 3.8−5.3, e.g., for calibration
solutions for glass electrode cells or for constant-pH reaction media
where the pH is known. In the
recommended sets, the pH values of the buffer solutions have been
calculated by the Guggenheim method,
and the pH predictions of the Pitzer method agree with those in most
cases within 0.01 at least up to
ionic strengths of about 0.15 mol kg-1.
The recommended pH = 4.005 of the standard reference
solution
(0.05 mol kg-1 KHPh solution) agrees closely
with the value suggested in the present study (4.003) for
this solution.