Potentiometric determination of trace amounts of volatile thiols in natural gas

A potentiometric titration method was developed for the determination of volatile thiols in natural gas. An apparatus was devised for the quantitative absorption of volatile thiols. The measurements were performed in an ethanolic ammonium buffer solution containing a known amount of silver nitrate as supporting electrolyte. The excess silver was precipitated by a known amount of potassium iodide. The excess of iodide was back titrated potentiometrically with a standard solution of silver nitrate. The direct titration of the excess silver ions with a standard solution of potassium iodide gave a poor accuracy compared with the back titration method. Iodide selective electrode was employed as an indicator electrode and a silver-silver chloride electrode as reference electrode. The accuracy and reproducibility of the method were established by preparing several synthetic samples in which ethanthiol containing from 346.61 to 12.11 μUg mercaptan sulfur was taken as standard nitrogen as carrier gas with an optimum flow rate of 31.5 L/hr. The results obtained expressed in the form of Grans plot showed an error ranging from 0.16 to 2.39% by weight and the relative standard deviation did not exceed 2.20%. The amount of mercaptan sulfur determined in Iraqi natural gas taken directly in a cylinder from Dora refinery, Baghdad, Iraq, and after six months of storage we 23.15 Ug/L and 21.25 Ug/L respectively with a relative standard deviation not exceeded 1%. The interferences of hydrogen sulfide could be eliminated by absorption in cadimium acetate containing solution. Other sulfur containing compounds e.g. disulfides, sulfoxides which may be present in natural gas do not interfere with the analysis