In
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
, the bromine number is the amount of
bromine
Bromine is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between th ...
() in grams absorbed by 100 g of a sample. The bromine number was once used as a measure of
aliphatic
In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated (in which all ...
unsaturation in
gasoline
Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...
and related petroleum samples, but this assay has fallen into disuse with the introduction of spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses.
Concept
It is based on the following reaction:
:
Bromine is deeply colored but is not. Thus, the consumption of bromine can often be gauged visually. Alternatively and more quantitatively, the bromine consumed by a sample can be determined by
iodometry.
The bromine number indicates the
degree of unsaturation of a sample. The technique can be subject to a variety of problems, whereby the sample consumes more or less bromine than predicted by the equation above. For example, some alkenes dimerize in the presence of bromine. Allylic bromination is another problem.
[
The bromine number is similar to the iodine number, which is a similar technique used in evaluating the unsaturation of fats and fatty acids. Iodine is less reactive toward the tri- and tetra-substituted double bonds,]titration
Titration (also known as titrimetry and volumetric analysis) is a common laboratory method of Quantitative research, quantitative Analytical chemistry, chemical analysis to determine the concentration of an identified analyte (a substance to be ...
, where bromine is generated ''in situ'' with the redox
Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is t ...
process of potassium bromide
Potassium bromide ( K Br) is a salt, widely used as an anticonvulsant and a sedative in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with over-the-counter use extending to 1975 in the US. Its action is due to the bromide ion ( sodium bromide is equa ...
and bromate in an acidic solution, using a mercury catalyst
Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...
to ensure the complete bromination of all olefins.
Related test methods
* Acid value
In chemistry, acid value (AV, acid number, neutralization number or acidity) is a number used to quantify the acidity of a given chemical substance. It is the quantity of Base (chemistry), base (usually potassium hydroxide (KOH)), expressed as m ...
* Epoxy value
Epoxy value derives from the Epoxy equivalent weight (EEW) or Weight Per Epoxide (WPE) and is a measure of the epoxy content of an epoxy resin or epoxy reactive diluent, or glycidyl ether. This is an important parameter as it allows determination ...
* Hydroxyl value
In analytical chemistry, the hydroxyl value is defined as the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide (KOH) required to neutralize the acetic acid taken up on acetylation of one gram of a chemical substance that contains free hydroxyl groups. ...
* Iodine value
In chemistry, the iodine value (IV; also iodine absorption value, iodine number or iodine index) is the mass of iodine in grams that is consumed by 100 grams of a chemical substance. Iodine numbers are often used to determine the degree of u ...
* Peroxide value
Detection of peroxide gives the initial evidence of rancidity in unsaturated fats and oils. Other methods are available, but peroxide value is the most widely used. It gives a measure of the extent to which an oil sample has undergone primary oxid ...
* Saponification value
Saponification value or saponification number (SV or SN) represents the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) required to saponify one gram of fat under the conditions specified. It is a measure of the ...
See also
* Bromatometry
References
ASTM method
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bromine Number
Bromine