What is a coulometric Karl Fischer titration?
Karl Fischer titration is simply a means to measure water content of samples. Modern instruments, such as the Aquamax KF, use the coulometric principle, whereby the water present in the sample is coulometrically titrated to a predefined end point at which there is a minute excess of free iodine present. Stoichiometrically, 1 mole of water will react with 1 mole of iodine, so that 1 milligram of water is equivalent to 10.71 coulombs of electricity. Combining the coulometric technique with Karl Fischer titration, Aquamax KF titrators determine the water content of the sample by measuring the amount of electrolysis current necessary to produce the required iodine. This is an absolute technique which does not require calibration of the reagents.
