IChO 1986 · Theory problem 2

Sodium triphosphate in detergents: complexation of Ca2+ and Mg2+

The compound \(\ce{Na5P3O10}\) is used as an additive for detergents to bind the \(\ce{Ca^{2+}}\) and \(\ce{Mg^{2+}}\) ions present in water in order to prevent the precipitation of their fatty acid salts on the laundry.

2.1 Draw the structure of the ions \(\ce{(P3O10)^{5-}}\) and \(\ce{(P3O9)^{3-}}\) assuming that P-P bonds do not occur.

2.2 Assuming an octahedral coordination of the \(\ce{Mg^{2+}}\) ion give a drawing of the \(\ce{Mg(P3O10)(H2O)_{n})^{3-}}\) ion also indicating the value for n.

The complex ions of \(\ce{Mg^{2+}}\) and \(\ce{Ca^{2+}}\) and triphosphate are well soluble in water. They are, among other things, responsible for the wild growth of algae in surface waters. They could be removed by precipitation as an insoluble compound.

2.3 Give some possibilities (ions) to precipitate the triphosphates bound to \(\ce{Ca^{2+}}\) or \(\ce{Mg^{2+}}\).

2.4 Calculate the mass of \(\ce{Na5P3O10}\) (in grams) necessary in a washing machine to reduce the amount of \(\ce{Ca^{2+}}\) in 20 litres of city water (0.225 g/l) to an acceptable maximum of 0.02 g/l. Effects of pH, the precipitation of \(\ce{Ca(OH)2}\), and possible effects by other positive ions, can be neglected. The following data is given:

\[ K_1=\frac{[\ce{Ca^{2+}}][\ce{P3O10^{5-}}]} {[\ce{CaP3O10^{3-}}]} =1.0\times10^{-6} \]

Molar mass of \(\ce{Na5P3O10}\) is \(366\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\), the molar mass of Ca is \(40\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\).

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 2.1 Triphosphate(5−), \(\ce{P3O10^{5-}}\), has an open chain of three phosphorus atoms joined by oxygen bridges. SMILES: [O-]P(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])[O-].
    Cyclotriphosphate(3−), also called trimetaphosphate, \(\ce{P3O9^{3-}}\), has a six-membered ring of alternating phosphorus and oxygen atoms. SMILES: [O-]P1(=O)OP(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])O1.

  • 2.2 \(n=1\). The aquatriphosphatomagnesate(II) ion, \(\ce{[Mg(P3O10)(H2O)]^{3-}}\), has five triphosphate oxygen donors and one water oxygen donor around octahedral magnesium. Dative-bond SMILES: [Mg+2]1234(<-[OH2])<-[O-]P(=O)([O-]->1)OP(=O)([O-]->2)OP(=O)([O-]->3)[O-]->4.

  • 2.3 Suitable qualitative examples are iron(III) ions, \(\ce{Fe^{3+}}\), [Fe+3], and aluminium(III) ions, \(\ce{Al^{3+}}\), [Al+3], which can precipitate triphosphate in poorly soluble solids.

  • 2.4 The required minimum mass is \(37.6\ \mathrm{g}\), approximately \(38\ \mathrm{g}\), of sodium triphosphate, \(\ce{Na5P3O10}\). Ionic SMILES: [Na+].[Na+].[Na+].[Na+].[Na+].[O-]P(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])[O-].

Solution

2.1 — Structures of the phosphate ions

Each phosphorus(V) atom has approximately tetrahedral oxygen coordination. The tetrahedra connect through bridging oxygen atoms, giving \(\ce{P-O-P}\) links.

Three separate tetrahedra contain twelve oxygen positions. Sharing an oxygen between two phosphorus atoms reduces the number of distinct oxygen atoms by one.

For triphosphate, \(\ce{P3O10^{5-}}\), two oxygen bridges are therefore required:

\[ 12-2=10. \]

The structure is an open \(\ce{P-O-P-O-P}\) chain. In a conventional Lewis structure:

  • Each terminal phosphorus has one \(\ce{P=O}\) group, two terminal \(\ce{O^-}\) groups, and one bridging oxygen.
  • The middle phosphorus has one \(\ce{P=O}\) group, one terminal \(\ce{O^-}\) group, and two bridging oxygens.

Thus there are five negatively charged terminal oxygens and an overall charge of \(5-\). To draw the ion, draw the three connected phosphorus tetrahedra and place these terminal groups on them. “Open chain” describes connectivity; the chain need not be straight or planar.

For cyclotriphosphate, \(\ce{P3O9^{3-}}\), three bridges are required:

\[ 12-3=9. \]

Draw a closed six-membered ring with alternating phosphorus and oxygen atoms. Each phosphorus carries one additional terminal \(\ce{P=O}\) group and one terminal \(\ce{O^-}\) group. The three negatively charged oxygens give the overall charge \(3-\).

The localized double bonds and charges are conventional Lewis representations; resonance distributes bonding and charge among terminal oxygens.

2.2 — The magnesium complex

In the intended idealised model, triphosphate is pentadentate: all five formally negatively charged terminal oxygen atoms coordinate to one magnesium(II) ion, \(\ce{Mg^{2+}}\), [Mg+2].

Octahedral coordination requires six donor atoms. Water, \(\ce{H2O}\), O, supplies the remaining donor:

\[ 5+n=6 \qquad\Longrightarrow\qquad \boxed{n=1}. \]

The charge is

\[ (+2)+(-5)+0=-3, \]

so the complex is \(\ce{[Mg(P3O10)(H2O)]^{3-}}\).

A precise drawing can be constructed as follows:

  1. Place magnesium at the centre of an octahedron.
  2. Put the oxygen donor from the middle phosphorus at the upper axial vertex and the water oxygen at the opposite axial vertex.
  3. Put the four negatively charged oxygens from the two terminal phosphorus atoms at the four equatorial vertices. The two donors belonging to each terminal phosphorus occupy adjacent vertices.
  4. Retain the two oxygen bridges connecting the three phosphorus atoms.

The three conventional \(\ce{P=O}\) oxygens and the two bridging oxygens do not coordinate in this model. The arrows in the supplied SMILES encode oxygen-to-magnesium coordination bonds; the octahedral arrangement is specified by the description above. Other denticities are possible in real complexes, but in the idealised model in which all five negatively charged oxygen atoms coordinate, \(n=1\).

2.3 — Precipitation

Iron(III) and aluminium(III) ions have a strong affinity for phosphate oxygen donors and can form poorly soluble triphosphate-containing solids. Precipitation draws triphosphate out of the soluble calcium or magnesium complexes.

Writing the insoluble trivalent-metal triphosphates formally as \(\ce{Fe5(P3O10)3}\) and \(\ce{Al5(P3O10)3}\), representative balanced equations are

\[ \ce{3[Ca(P3O10)]^{3-} + 5Fe^{3+} -> Fe5(P3O10)3(s) + 3Ca^{2+}} \]

and

\[ \ce{3[Mg(P3O10)(H2O)]^{3-} + 5Al^{3+} -> Al5(P3O10)3(s) + 3Mg^{2+} + 3H2O}. \]

Either precipitating cation can be considered for either hardness-ion complex. These equations describe idealised displacement and precipitation stoichiometry; the precise solid phase depends on the solution conditions.

2.4 — Required sodium triphosphate mass

The specified calcium limit concerns free calcium(II), \(\ce{Ca^{2+}}\), [Ca+2]. Complexation reduces its free concentration while retaining calcium in solution.

The equilibrium is

\[ \ce{[Ca(P3O10)]^{3-} <=> Ca^{2+} + P3O10^{5-}}. \]

The calcium(II)–triphosphate complex has composition SMILES [Ca+2].[O-]P(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])OP(=O)([O-])[O-]; this notation omits coordination bonds, whose arrangement is unnecessary for the calculation.

The initial total calcium concentration is

\[ c_{\mathrm{Ca,tot}} =\frac{0.225\ \mathrm{g\,L^{-1}}} {40\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =5.625\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \]

For the minimum dose, the final free calcium concentration equals the acceptable maximum:

\[ [\ce{Ca^{2+}}] =\frac{0.020\ \mathrm{g\,L^{-1}}} {40\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =5.00\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \]

Because each complex contains one calcium ion, the calcium balance gives

\[ \begin{aligned} [\ce{CaP3O10^{3-}}] &=c_{\mathrm{Ca,tot}}-[\ce{Ca^{2+}}]\\ &=5.625\times10^{-3}-5.00\times10^{-4}\\ &=5.125\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \end{aligned} \]

Some triphosphate must remain free to establish the specified equilibrium. Using the given dissociation constant, with concentrations expressed in \(\mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}\),

\[ \begin{aligned} [\ce{P3O10^{5-}}] &=K_1\frac{[\ce{CaP3O10^{3-}}]}{[\ce{Ca^{2+}}]}\\ &=(1.0\times10^{-6}) \frac{5.125\times10^{-3}}{5.00\times10^{-4}}\\ &=1.025\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \end{aligned} \]

The total triphosphate concentration required is consequently

\[ \begin{aligned} c_{\mathrm{triphosphate,tot}} &=[\ce{CaP3O10^{3-}}]+[\ce{P3O10^{5-}}]\\ &=5.13525\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \end{aligned} \]

Each mole of sodium triphosphate supplies one mole of triphosphate. Thus, using the supplied molar mass,

\[ \begin{aligned} m &=(20\ \mathrm{L}) (5.13525\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}) (366\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}})\\ &=37.59003\ \mathrm{g}. \end{aligned} \]

Therefore,

\[ \boxed{m(\ce{Na5P3O10})\approx37.6\ \mathrm{g}\quad \text{(about }38\ \mathrm{g}\text{)}.} \]

The solution was checked against the official solution.