Your Karl Fischer titration progresses smoothly—until the current jumps past the endpoint. Suddenly, water content is overestimated, requiring a rerun. Reagents are wasted, workflows stall, and confidence in batch results declines, all while production deadlines loom.
In the panel discussion Rethinking Karl Fischer Titration: How Smarter Algorithms Tackle Complex Water Determinations, Nicolas Monney and Matteo Stefanoni (Mettler-Toledo) explore how reaction variability and workflow bottlenecks affect water analysis. This FAQ covers their key insights on automation and drift control for faster, more reliable titration.
How can labs improve Karl Fischer titration accuracy?
Karl Fischer titration measures water content, but accuracy depends on fully extracting trapped moisture while avoiding side reactions. Some samples release water easily, while others require external techniques such as oven heating or specialized solvent mixtures. Temperature fluctuations also impact accuracy by altering titrant concentration, making regular titrant checks and drift corrections essential for precise, reliable water measurements.
How can labs minimize drift in Karl Fischer titration?
Drift in Karl Fischer titration happens when ambient humidity or volatile solvents introduce water into the titration cell, causing baseline fluctuations and unstable endpoints. Beyond environmental factors, slow system equilibration can delay analysis, forcing operators to wait for a stable baseline before starting a measurement. Advanced systems, such as the EVA KF Titrator, minimize these fluctuations by tracking water changes and adjusting baseline conditions automatically, reducing equilibration time and keeping results stable from run to run.
Why does Karl Fischer titration sometimes overshoot the endpoint?
Karl Fischer titration relies on detecting when all water has reacted, but if the system can’t adjust dosing quickly enough, excess titrant can push the reaction past the endpoint. This often happens when sensor response lags behind the reaction or when titrant is added too aggressively. The EVA KF Titrator prevents overshoot by fine-tuning dosing speed based on real-time sensor feedback.
How do titration algorithms improve accuracy?
Karl Fischer titration reactions don’t always progress at the same speed, making fixed dosing parameters unreliable. The Fast Forecasting Amperometric (FFA™) Algorithm in the EVA KF Titrator continuously monitors sensor response and adjusts dosing instantly. Detecting endpoint trends earlier prevents over-titration, ensures full water titration, and improves reproducibility across different sample types.
How have new titration systems improved measurement reliability?
Certain samples, such as ketones and aldehydes, create drift that makes water analysis difficult, often requiring costly specialty reagents. Older titration systems became unreliable once drift exceeded 100 µg/min, limiting the range of measurable samples. The EVA KF Titrator maintains accuracy even at drift levels up to 1,000 µg/min—10 times higher than before—allowing labs to analyze complex samples without relying on expensive alternative reagents.
What should labs consider when upgrading their Karl Fischer titration workflow?
Labs should prioritize automation and adaptive drift control to reduce manual effort and boost throughput. Ethanol-based reagents offer faster, safer, and more sustainable analysis, but speed settings must balance accuracy for specific sample types. Modern titrators should also integrate intuitive software and automated data management to standardize workflows and ensure reproducibility.
Conclusion
Karl Fischer titration doesn’t happen in isolation; it requires control over sample preparation, drift, and reaction conditions. A well-designed workflow combines new technology with standardized procedures to reduce errors and improve efficiency. By rethinking a century-old technique, labs can move beyond routine testing and achieve new levels of precision.
See how advanced titration technology solves real-world water analysis challenges. Join Mettler-Toledo’s expert panel to learn how intelligent algorithms cut analysis time and stabilize results—even in high humidity or complex sample matrices. Register now to view the on-demand broadcast.
About the Experts
Nicolas Monney
Application Chemist, Mettler-Toledo
Nicolas Monney holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. His research focused on studying electron transfer through proteins using low-temperature spectroscopy and ab initio simulations. Nicolas began his career at Mettler-Toledo nearly ten years ago, taking on the role of Applications Specialist for Titration. In this role, he develops innovative titration applications and collaborates closely with the R&D department to facilitate the development of new products. Additionally, he supports the sales force of Mettler-Toledo and its partners on titration projects worldwide.
Matteo Stefanoni
Senior Scientist, Mettler-Toledo
Matteo is a scientist with a strong academic background and experience in the fields of chemistry and material science. He earned his Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Milano and a PhD from ETH Zürich, focusing on electrochemistry. After completing his doctoral studies, Matteo spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher, further enhancing his expertise in the field. Currently, Matteo serves as a Senior Scientist at Mettler-Toledo, where he has spent the last five years developing advanced control algorithms for automatic titration instruments. Notably, he has dedicated four of those years to developing an innovative model-based control algorithm for Karl Fischer titration analysis, significantly improving the efficiency of this analytical technique.
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