Preparation
Lead tetraacetate may be prepared (i) by the action of red lead (Pb3O4) with anhydrous acetic acid - a substantial amount of lead diacetate is also
formed - the lead(II) salt may be separated by making use of its lower solubility in glacial acetic acid; (ii) by oxidation of lead diacetate with
gaseous chlorine, again in a medium of glacial acetic acid; the PbCl2 formed is removed by filtration; (iii) for volumetric purposes we recommend the
reagent to be prepared by dissolving red lead (Pb3O4) in glacial acetic acid at elevated temperatures; the lead tetraacetate crystals formed are
isolated, recrystallized and the required amount is dissolved in a known volume of glacial acetic acid; solutions thus prepared contain no lead(II)
salts, and if kept in dark-coloured stock bottles will remain stable for periods of several months. Their stability is decreased substantially by the
presence of acetic anhydride or alkaline metal acetates. Due to the great volume changes of glacial acetic acid with temperature variations,
conditions used must be such that the temperature does not vary within a range of more than +/- 1C during the analysis. |