Introduction Applications Features Screenshots About us F.A.Q. Download Contact
!! WARNING !!

Before using this program please check if your regional settings are set as following:
- Decimal symbol = . (a dot)
- Digit grouping symbol = , (a comma)
If not the results reported by ABL will not be correct !!

For all English based versions of the operating system these should be the default settings and you need not change anything. For all other versions please check your settings well!
You can check your settings under Windows as follows:
Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> [Regional Options] tab -> Customize ...

To test if you're affected by this "bug" you can perform a titration of CH3COOH with NaOH (both 0.1M). The reported pH at the starting point (V = 0 ml) should be 2.88 and is correct, if you get the value of 1.92 (or any other value different from 2.88) this is incorrect and you need to change your settings!!

We are currently working on a new version of ABL which will not have this problem.

Introduction   [Top ^]

AcidBaseLab is a titration curve calculation program that can be used to simulate real titration experiments. This program does much more than simply calculating the pH of a strong or a weak acid (or base). Instead, it can perform ANY pH-calculation, independent of the complexity of the composition under consideration. During titration, the color(changes) of the solution can be monitored. Moreover, you can simply edit the list of possible acid/base chemicals as well as the pH-indicator list to match your specific needs.

Applications   [Top ^]

Features   [Top ^]

Screenshots   [Top ^]

Click on an image below to see it full-sized in a new window

AcidBaseLab solution's dialog AcidBaseLab H3PO4/NaOH titration AcidBaseLab Help screen
Screenshot of solution's defined by default Screenshot of titration of H3PO4 with NaOH Screenshot of the help file

Frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)   [Top ^]

Here you will find some answers to questions we have received by e-mail, please check this FAQ before sending a mail with a question

Q: Is ABL free? Can I host it on my website or distribute it on a media (e.g. DVD) ?
A: Yes, ABL is completely free of charge for non-commercial use (e.g. students, teachers), but you must always link to this site for downloads. This way users will always download the latest version of the package. Distribution of the software is only allowed with prior consent, please send us an e-mail first if you wish to do this. In other words, don't host ABL on your site.

Q: Where can I download the source code of ABL ?
A: At this time the source code of ABL has not been made available, it is unlikely this will ever happen.

Q: I want to simulate an experiment, but my compound (solution,titrant or indicator) is not present in the list. Can I add it myself ?
A: Yes, you can define new species very easily and extend the list of known compounds! To do this you have to go to the directory where you installed ABL (by default C:\Program Files\AcidBaseLab\) and edit the appropriate files, the solutions/titrants are defined in the file chemicals.dat and the indicators in the file pHindicators.dat. You can edit these files with any simple text editor (e.g. Notepad).

The structure of the entries in chemicals.dat is the following:
[acid] [number of protons]
[acid, 1x deprotonated] [Ka1]
... ...
[acid, Nx deprotonated] [Kn]
The special keyword NIHIL is reserved for spectactor ions (e.g. Na+, Cl-).

The structure of the entries in pHindicators.dat is the following:
[indicator]
[pH turningpoint] [RGB start] [RGB endpoint]
The pH of the turningpoint is the average of the transition pH range of the indicator, e.g. Phenolphthalein pH range:8..10, the average value is thus "9" and the program will automatically assign the "RGB start" colour to the pH one unit below this average (=8) and the "RGB endpoint" colour at the pH one unit above the average (=10).

Note Please make a backup of the original files before you start editing them, also use only spaces to separate values and fields!

-- This FAQ was written and last update on 13/12/2006 by DRo

Downloads   [Top ^]

You can download the files necessary for installation by simply clicking the following links. In case you encounter difficulties, please let us know (see contact details bellow). Your remarks are appreciated.

Note Full installation 1/6 2/6 3/6 4/6 5/6 6/6
File full part1 part2 part3 part4 part5 part6
Size 7.2 MB 1.4 MB 1.4 MB 1.4 MB 1.4 MB 1.4 MB 0.8 MB

** News** These installation files are for the new version which was released on 31/03/2005
 Note These files were compressed with WinRAR, if you do not have this program you can obain it here

 

About the authors   [Top ^]

Prof. Van Espen is professor at the University of Antwerp. His main interests are computer applications in chemistry (X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry, Chemometrics in general, Applications of image analysis, etc.) He also teaches several courses dealing with analytical chemistry.

The first titration-curve-calculating-program was developed under DOS in the early nineties by Prof. Van Espen. The main purpose was to provide students a better understanding of the calculation of the acidity (pH) of complex solutions.

Erik Cuynen and Pascal Lemberge obtained their PhD thesis in the field of (instrumental) analytical chemistry. Both are no longer working at the university since 2000 and 2002 respectively.

 

Contact   [Top ^]

We would like to inform you that neither Erik nor Pascal are a part of our group anymore. They both graduated some time ago. If you have any questions regarding the AcidBaseLab software you can send an e-mail to either : Prof. Van Espen or David. Erik has provided a new version of AcidBase Lab, it comes with a new installer and has some improvements and corrections in the program itself. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

 

All material © copyright 1999-2006 Erik Cuynen, this page was last updated on 13.12.2006 by DRo


http://www.chemometrix.ua.ac.be/