What are masking and demasking agents in analytical chemistry?
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Solution
Masking agent:
During chemical analysis, a reagent that reacts with a chemical species which is capable of interfering with the chemical analysis is known as a masking agent.
The masking agent removes the impurities from the chemical reaction.
Example: EDTA (Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) serves as a masking agent in Spectrophotometric Determination of Copper with Triethylenetetramine.
Demasking agent:
Demasking is the process in which the masked substance retains its ability to enter into a particular reaction.
The demasking agent removes the masked substances back into the mixture.
Example: For the selective demasking of aluminum, triethanolamine is added which also reacts with iron.