Furthermore, all values of pKE1,= lie too negative to admit of any significant amount of I-12L2f being formed during pH titrations suitable for determination of stability constants of metal conlplexes. Therefore, the existence of protonated metal complexes is possibly indicated, and is being investigated by the author. The correlation between p 1 k L and pKE12L is not conlpletely satisfactory, but the two sets of values clearly follolv the same trend. EXPERIMENTAL The phenanthrolines were purchased from the G. F. Smith Chemical Company, the bipyridyl from British Drug I-louses, and were all subjected to purification as follows: First, they were recrystallized from warm benzene, then dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid, and re-precipitated by the addition of s o d i~~m hydroxide. This process was repeated, if necessary, until the product obtained melted sharply and a t the ~nelting point published for the appropriate compound. Solutio~~s of these compounds were prepared in hydrochloric or perchloric acid of known molarity prepared by the addition of measured volun~es of a concentrated analyzed stock acid to a fixed final volume. The perchlorates of these bases are rather insoluble, so that only 1,lO-phenanthroline could be measured over a wide range of perchloric acid concentrations. Absorption spectra were measured with a Cary Model 14 spectrophotometer. I n some cases, optical densities at single wavelengths were measured in a Beckman Model DU spectrophotometer.