Complexing influence of cobalt and nickel ions on the electrochemical reduction of pterin and related compounds at a mercury drop.

The effect of Co(2+) and Ni(2+) ions on the electrochemical reduction of pterin and its derivatives, pteroic and pteroylmonoglutamic acids, has been studied. The measurements were carried out in aqueous solutions at fixed pH (7.5 +/- 0.2), temperature (298 +/- 0.2 K) and ionic strength (mu = 1.00; NaClO(4)) using polarographic techniques. By employing cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse polarography displacements were determined of the half-wave potentials E (1 2 ) of ligands of the reducible organic compounds at a dropping mercury electrode. The recorded polarograms and inherent potential differences were then utilized to calculate conditional stability constants of the complexes. The Casassas-Eek method was employed for the interpretation of the potential differences of the free and complexed ligands. The log beta(1) values of the stability constants revealed moderate stability of the complexes. The donor atoms of the ligands in the coordination compounds have also been identified.