Simple Selective Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Ruthenium in Carbon Supported Pt-Ru-Ge Catalyst

ABSTRACT

A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of ruthenium in the presence of platinum in Pt-Ru-Ge catalyst applied in fuel cells has been developed. Platinum catalyst (20% Pt) with carbon support containing 0.5% Ru and 5% Ge was digested in the mixture of HCl+HNO₃ (6+1). Carbon was separated from the examined sample by filtration after dissolution of the metals. Ruthenium was converted into a complex with thiourea (λ_max=640 nm, ε = 2.9·10³ 1 mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹) in the medium of 5 M in HCl and 1% in thiourea after 15 min heating at 70 °C. Platinum does not interfere with the determination of ruthenium. Germanium is converted into volatile GeCl₄ and escapes from the examined sample during the digestion step. The content of ruthenium determined in the examined samples of catalyst amounted to 0.49% (RSD = 0.14%).

Keywords::

• Ruthenium determination
• platinum metals
• determination
• catalysts
• spectrophotometry
• thiourea complexes