A new method for the determination of partition coefficients of air sensitive copper(i) complexes.

Determinations of log P values of copper complexes in oil/water were performed in a new, totally closed apparatus connected with a filter-probe extractor. The results indicate that the system may be generally suitable for the determination of log P values of oxidizable and nonoxidizable metal complexes. In the case of the copper (I) complexes spectrophotometric analysis was not feasible, since 1-octanol was extracted by these complexes into the aqueous phase, resulting in a change in the extinction coefficient. To establish accurately the concentration in each phase, copper was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.