ACTIVITIES OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN AQUEOUS-ELECTROLYTE SOLUTIONS

A gas chromatographic method is described which permits the direct measurement of the activities of neutral organic compounds in aqueous electrolyte solutions. This method has a relative precision of about 0. 5%; it is convenient and fairly rapid, and the apparatus required is relatively inexpensive. The significance of such activity measurements to electrosorption studies of organic compounds on electrodes is discussed. The method is equally applicable to organic compounds which are either liquid or solid in the pure state at the temperature of the electrosorption studies. It may also be used to determine the complete activity-composition phase diagrams of two component mixtures of the organic compound and water.