Point of zero charge
Point of zero charge
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Point of zero charge

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Point of zero charge

The point of zero charge (pzc) is generally described as the pH at which the net electrical charge of the particle surface (i.e. adsorbent's surface) is equal to zero. This concept has been introduced in the studies dealing with colloidal flocculation to explain why pH is affecting the phenomenon.

A related concept in electrochemistry is the electrode potential at the point of zero charge. Generally, the pzc in electrochemistry is the value of the negative decimal logarithm of the activity of the potential-determining ion in the bulk fluid. The pzc is of fundamental importance in surface science. For example, in the field of environmental science, it determines how easily a substrate is able to adsorb potentially harmful ions. It also has countless applications in technology of colloids, e.g., flotation of minerals. Therefore, the pzc value has been examined in many application of adsorption to the environmental science. The pzc value is typically obtained by titrations and several titration methods have been developed. Related values associated with the soil characteristics exist along with the pzc value, including zero point of charge (zpc), point of zero net charge (pznc), etc.

The point of zero charge is the pH value for which the net surface charge of adsorbent is equal to zero. This concept has been introduced by an increase of interest in the pH of the solution during adsorption experiments. The reason is that the adsorption of some substances is very dependent on pH. The pzc value is determined by the characteristics of an adsorbent. For example, the surface charge of adsorbent is described by the ion that lies on the surface of the particle (adsorbent) structure like image. At a lower pH, hydrogen ions (protons, H+) would be more adsorbed than other cations (adsorbate) so that the other cations would be less adsorbed than in the case of the negatively charged particle. On the other hand, if the surface is positively charged and pH is increased, anions will be less adsorbed as pH increases. From the view of the adsorbent, if the pH of the solution is below the pzc value, the surface charge of the adsorbent would become positive so that the anions can be adsorbed. Conversely, if the pH is above the pzc value, the surface charge would be negative so that the cations can be adsorbed.

For example, the electrical charge on the surface of silver iodide (AgI) crystals can be determined by the concentration of iodide ions present in the solution above the crystals. Then, the pzc value of the AgI surface will be described by a function of the concentration of I in the solution (or by the negative decimal logarithm of this concentration, -log10 [I] = pI).

The pzc is the same as the isoelectric point (iep) if there is no adsorption of other ions than the potential determining H+/OH at the surface[clarification needed]. This is often the case for pure ("pristine surface") oxides in suspension in water. In the presence of specific adsorption, pzc and isoelectric point generally have different values.

The pzc is typically obtained by acid-base titrations of colloidal dispersions while monitoring the electrophoretic mobility of the particles and the pH of the suspension. Several titrations are required to distinguish pzc from iep, using different supporting electrolytes (including varying the electrolyte ionic strength). Once satisfactory curves are obtained (acid/base amount—pH, and pH—zeta potential), the pzc is established as the common intersection point (cip) of the lines. Therefore, pzc is also sometimes referred to as cip.

Besides pzc, iep, and cip, there are also numerous other terms used in the literature, usually expressed as initialisms, with identical or (confusingly) near-identical meaning: zero point of charge (zpc), point of zero net charge (pznc), point of zero net proton charge (pznpc), pristine point of zero charge (ppzc), point of zero salt effect (pzse), zero point of titration (zpt) of colloidal dispersion, and isoelectric point of the solid (ieps) and point of zero surface tension (pzst or pzs).

In electrochemistry, the electrode-electrolyte interface is generally charged. If the electrode is polarizable, then its surface charge depends on the electrode potential.

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