Construction and characterization of nano iron complex ionophore for electrochemical determination of Fe(III) in pure and various real water samples

Electrochemical methods represent an important class of widely used techniques for the detection of metal ions. The unique chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles make them extremely suitable for designing new and improved sensing devices, especially electrochemical sensors and biosensors. This study focused on the synthesis of a nano‐Fe(III)–Sud complex and its characterization using various spectroscopic and analytical tools, optimized using the density functional theory method, screened for antibacterial activity and evaluated for possible binding to DNA using molecular docking study. Proceeding from the collected information, nano‐Fe(III)–Sud was used further for constructing carbon paste and screen‐printed ion‐selective electrodes. The proposed sensors were successfully applied for the determination of Fe(III) ions in various real and environmental water samples. Some texture analyses of the electrode surface were conducted using atomic force microscopy. At optimum values of various conditions, the proposed electrodes responded towards Fe(III) ions linearly in the range 2.5 × 10^?9–1 × 10^?2 and 1.0 × 10^?8–1 × 10^?2 M with slope of 19.73 ± 0.82 and 18.57 ± 0.32 mV decade^?1 of Fe(III) ion concentration and detection limit of 2.5 × 10^?9 and 1.0 × 10^?8 M for Fe(III)–Sud‐SPE (electrode I) and Fe(III)–Sud‐CPE (electrode II), respectively. The electrode response is independent of pH in the range 2.0–7.0 and 2.5–7.0, with a fast response time (4 and 7 s) at 25°C for electrode I and electrode II, respectively. Moreover, the electrodes also showed high selectivity and long lifetime (more than 6 and 3 months for electrode I and electrode II, respectively). The electrodes showed good selectivity for Fe(III) ions among a wide variety of metal ions. The results obtained compared well with those obtained using atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Liquid-state mercury(II) ion-selective electrode based on N-(O,O-diisopropylthiophosphoryl)thiobenzamide

A liquid ion-exchange electrode containing a complex of mercury(II) with N-(O,O-diisopropylthiophosphoryl)thiobenzamide in carbon tetrachloride is described. The electrode shows excellent sensitivity and good selectivity. The slope of the calibration graph is 29.0 mV/pHg²⁺ in the pHg²⁺ in the pHg²⁺ range 2–15.2 in mercury(II) ion buffers. The electrode can be used for determination of 5 × 10^?5–10^?2 M Hg(II) in the presence of 10^?2 M Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), Fe(III), Cr(III), Bi(III) or Al(III) ions and in the presence of 10^?3 M Ag(I) ions. It can bealso used for end-point detection in titrations with EDTA of 10^?3–10^?4 M mercury(II) at pH 2.     

Pt‐Nanoparticle Incorporated Carbon Paste Electrode for the Determination of Cu(II) Ion by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Pt‐nanoparticles were synthesized and introduced into a carbon paste electrode (CPE), and the resulting modified electrode was applied to the anodic stripping voltammetry of copper(II) ions. The synthesized Pt‐nanoparticles were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques to confirm the purity and the size of the prepared Pt‐nanoparticles (ca. 20 nm). This incorporated material seems to act as catalysts with preconcentration sites for copper(II) species that enhances the sensitivity of Cu(II) ions to Cu(I) species at a deposition potential of ?0.6 V in an aqueous solution. The experimental conditions, such as, the electrode composition, pH of the solution, pre‐concentration time, were optimized for the determination of Cu(II) ion using as‐prepared electrode. The sensitivity changes on the different binder materials and the presence of surfactants in the test solution. The interference effect of the coexisted metals were also investigated. In the presence of surfactants, especially TritonX‐100, the Cu(II) detection limit was lowered to 3.9×10^?9 M. However, the Pt‐nanoparticle modified CPE begins to degrade when the period of deposition exceeds to 10 min. Linear response for copper(II) was found in the concentration range between 3.9×10^?8 M and 1.6×10^?6 M, with an estimated detection limit of 1.6×10^?8 M (1.0 ppb) and relative standard deviation was 4.2% (n=5).     

Novel Cesium‐Selective Electrodes Based on Lipophilic 1,3‐Bisbridged Cofacial‐calix[6]crowns

Five bisbridged calix[6]crowns have been investigated as Cs⁺ ionophore in PVC membrane electrodes. As ionophores, three 1,3‐bisbridged calix[6]crown‐4‐ethers( I–III ), 1,3‐bisbridged calix[6]crown‐5‐ether( IV ), and 1,3‐bisbridged calix[6]crown‐6‐ether( V ) have been evaluated. The membranes all give good Nernstian response in the concentration range from 1×10^?7 to 1×10^?1 M of cesium ion. The best detection limits (?log aequation/tex2gif-inf-1.gif=7.08–7.36) are obtained for electrode membranes containing 1,3‐bisbridged cofacial‐calix[6]crown‐4‐ethers( I‐III ), and the values are the lowest compared with those reported previously. The highest selectivity coefficients [ 3.74(Cs/K), 2.63(Cs/Rb)] are obtained for the membrane of 1,3‐bisbridged calix[6]crown‐4‐ether( II ), and these values are also the highest compared with previous reports for Cs⁺‐ISEs. The highest selectivity towards cesium ion is attributed to the geometrically cofacial positions of two crown‐ethers in calix[6]crowns in order to provide the complex of cesium ion and eight oxygens of cofacial crowns.     

Application of the Tris(acetylacetonato)iron(III)/(II) Redox Couple in p‐Type Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

An electrolyte based on the tris(acetylacetonato)iron(III)/(II) redox couple ([Fe(acac)₃]^0/1?) was developed for p‐type dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Introduction of a NiO blocking layer on the working electrode and the use of chenodeoxycholic acid in the electrolyte enhanced device performance by improving the photocurrent. Devices containing [Fe(acac)₃]^0/1? and a perylene–thiophene–triphenylamine sensitizer (PMI–6T–TPA) have the highest reported short‐circuit current (J_SC=7.65 mA cm^?2), and energy conversion efficiency (2.51 %) for p‐type DSSCs coupled with a fill factor of 0.51 and an open‐circuit voltage V_OC=645 mV. Measurement of the kinetics of dye regeneration by the redox mediator revealed that the process is diffusion limited as the dye‐regeneration rate constant (1.7×10⁸ M ^?1 s^?1) is very close to the maximum theoretical rate constant of 3.3×10⁸ M ^?1 s^?1. Consequently, a very high dye‐regeneration yield (>99 %) could be calculated for these devices.     

Zn(II)‐Selective Membrane Electrode Based on Tetraazamacrocycle [Bzo2Me2Ph2(16)hexaeneN4]

A PVC membrane electrode using [Bzo₂Me₂Ph₂(16)hexaeneN₄] ( I ) as ionophore, oleic acid as lipophilic additive and o‐nitrophenyloctyl ether as plasticizer has been investigated as Zn(II)‐selective electrode. The membrane incorporating 34.9% (w/w) PVC, 2.3% I , 4.7% OA and 58.1% o‐NPOE gave linear response over the concentration range 2.82×10^?6?1.0×10^?1 M with a Nernstian slope of 28.5±0.2 mV/decade of concentration with a detection limit of 2.24×10^?6 M (0.146 ppm) and showed a response time of less than 10 s and could be used in pH range 2.5–8.5. High selectivity was obtained over a wide variety of metal ions. The proposed electrode was successfully used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of zinc ions with EDTA and for determination of zinc in real samples.     

A Novel Holmium(III) Membrane Sensor Based on N‐(1‐Thien‐2‐Ylmethylene)‐1,3‐Benzothiazol‐2‐Amine

Abstract

A novel plasticized membrane sensor for Ho(III) ions based on N‐(1‐thien‐2‐ylmethylene)‐1,3‐benzothiazol‐2‐amine (TBA) as a neutral carrier was prepared. The best performance was obtained with a membrane composition of 31% PVC, 61% benzyle acetate, 2% sodium tetra phenyl borate and 6% carrier. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response for Ho(III) ions over a particular concentration range (1.0×10^?5?1.0×10^?2 M) with a slope of 19.7±0.2 mV decade^?1. The limit of the detection is 7.0×10^?6 M. The sensor has a response time of <15 s and a useful working pH range of 4.0–9.5. The proposed sensor discriminates relatively well towards Ho(III) ions with regard to common alkali, alkaline earth, and specially lanthanide ions. It was successfully applied as an indicator electrode in a potentiometric titration of Ho(III) ions with EDTA. It was also applied in determination of fluoride ions in a mouth wash preparation. The proposed sensor was applied for the determination of Ho(III) ion concentration in binary mixtures.     

Cold Deposition as a Novel Procedure for the Preparation of Titania Sol‐Gel: A Development of a High Sensitive Electrochemical Method for Determination of Cu(II) in the Presence of Arsenic(III)

Titania sol‐gel modified gold electrode (TSGMGE) was prepared with the usage of a new proposed cold deposition method at ?10 °C. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) operating at 30 kV was used to obtain micrographs of unmodified and modified electrodes. The obtained results showed that this procedure yields a sol‐gel with high porosity in comparison to conventional methods. The modified Au electrode was fabricated by trapping the L‐glutamine in titania sol‐gel at low temperatures to preparation of a new titania sol‐gel glutamine modified gold electrode (TSGGMGE). The possibility determination of traces of Cu(II) in the presence of As(III) was investigated using proposed electrode. Under the optimized conditions, copper was accumulated at ?0.35 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 40 s in 0.1 M acetate buffer (pH 4.0) in the presence of different amounts of arsenic. Two dynamic linear responses with good reproducibility were observed for copper ions in the concentration range of 1 × 10^?6 ?4 × 10^?4 M and 4 × 10^?8 ?6 × 10^?7 M.     

Trace Analysis of Al (III) Ions Based on the Redox Current of a Conducting Polymer

A conducting polymer was electrochemically prepared on a Pt electrode with newly synthesized 3′‐(4‐formyl‐3‐hydroxy‐1‐phenyl)‐5,2′ : 5′,2″‐terthiophene (FHPT) in a 0.1 M TBAP/CH₂Cl₂ solution. The polymer‐modified electrode exhibited a response to proton and metal ions, especially Al(III) ions. The poly[FHPT] was characterized with cyclic voltammetry, EQCM, and applied to the analysis of trace levels of Al(III) ions. Experimental parameters affecting the response of the poly[FHPT] were investigated and optimized. Other metal ions in low concentration did not interfere with the analysis of Al(III) ions in a buffer solution at pH 7.4. The response was linear over the concentration range of 5.0×10^?8–7.0×10^?10 M, and the detection limit was 5.0×10^?10 M using the linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). Employing the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), the response was linear over the 1.0×10^?9–5.0×10^?11 M range and the detection limit was 3.0×10^?11 M. The relative standard deviation at 5.0×10^?11 M was 7.2% (n=5) in DPV. This analytical method was successfully verified for the analysis of trace amounts of Al(III) ions in a human urine sample.     

Amperometric Sensor for Trichloroacetic Acid Based on Myoglobin/Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles Immobilized in Titania Sol–Gel Matrix

A new amperometric sensor for the determination of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) was developed based on the immobilization of myoglobin/colloidal gold nanoparticles in titania sol–gel matrix. The sensor showed a pair of well‐defined and nearly reversible cyclic voltammetric peaks for the Mb Fe(III)/Fe(II) with a formal potential (E°′) of ?335 mV and a peak‐to‐peak separation was 61 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 M KCl) at 100 mV s^?1 in 0.1 M pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solutions (PBS). The formal potential of the Mb Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple shifted linearly with the pH with a slope of ?51.3 mV/pH, indicating that an electron transfer accompanies single‐proton transportation. The sensor displayed a good electrocatalytic response toward the reduction of TCA and the catalytic mechanism was also discussed. The overpotential for the reduction of TCA was lowered by at least 0.8 V compared with that obtained at bare glassy carbon electrode. The linear range spans the concentration of TCA from 2.0×10^?6 to1.2×10^?5 M and the detection limit was 1.2×10^?7 M. In addition, the stability, repeatability and selectivity of the sensor were also evaluated.     

Application of a Partial Least Squares Regression for the Determination of Nanomolar Concentrations of Scandium in the Presence of Nickel by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

This paper presents the methodology of a very sensitive determination of scandium in excess of nickel by adsorptive stripping voltammetry on a mercury film electrode and PLS regression. A calibration set consisting of binary mixtures containing 5, 15, 25, 35 or 45×10^?9 M Sc(III) and simultaneously 0.5–50×10^?7 M of Ni(II) was used to develop the chemometric PLS calibrations. An external set containing synthetic mixtures of 10, 20, 30, 40×10^?9 M Sc(III) and the same Ni(II) concentration as mentioned above was used to validate the model and evaluate predictive ability. The application of data pretreatment techniques involving baseline correction, smoothing, range‐scaling, mean‐centering and their influence on the PLS model complexity, were also investigated. In the effect, the model for Sc(III), including 6 latent variables, was constructed. The model fulfills validation criteria and is characterized by a good prediction ability (majority of the prediction errors are lower than 10%). This work shows significant progress in the development of a very sensitive analytical technique for the determination of scandium in the presence of different concentrations of nickel by application of multivariate calibration tools.     

Chromium(III) Potentiometric Sensor Based on Para‐Tertiary‐Butyl Calix[4]arene

A new chromium(III) PVC membrane sensor incorporating p‐tertiary‐butyl calix[4]arene as ionophore, potassium tetrakis as additive and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as plasticizer was constructed. The electrode exhibited an excellent potentiometric response over a wide concentration range of 1.0×10^?7–1.0×10^?1 M with a Nernstian slope of 20±0.5 mV per decade. The detection limit was 5.0×10^?8 M. The electrode showed a better performance over a pH range of 3.0–8.0, and had a short response time of about <15 s.The electrode was successfully applied to potentiometric titration of Cr (III) with EDTA and for direct determination of chromium(III) in waste water.     

Chemically Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Determination of Sulfate Ion by Potentiometric Method

Four Schiff base complexes of different metal ions, M=Cr(III), Mn(III), Fe(III), and Co(III), were studied to characterize their ability as sulfate ion carriers in carbon paste electrode (CPE). The modified CPE electrode with Schiff base complex of Cr(III), N,N′‐ethylenebis(5‐hydroxysalicylideneiminato) chromium(III) Chloride, showed good response characteristics to SO₄^2? ion. The proposed electrode exhibits a Nernstian slope of 28.9±0.4 mV per decade for SO₄^2? ion over a wide concentration range from 1.5×10^?6?4.8×10^?2 M, with a detection limit of 9.0×10^?7 M. The CPE electrode manifested advantages of relatively fast response time, suitable reproducibility and life time and, most important, good potentiometric selectivity relative to a wide variety of other common inorganic anions. The potentiometric response of the electrode is independent of the pH of the test solution in the pH range 4.0–9.0. The proposed electrode was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of sulfate with Ba²⁺ ion, the determination of zinc in zinc sulfate tablet and also determination of sulfate content of a mineral water sample.     

The 4‐(Dimethylamino) benzaldehyde‐4‐ethylthiosemicarbazone as Ionophore for Mercury(II) Solid State Selective Electrode

Hg(II) has formed a soluble complex with 4‐(dimethylamino) benzaldehyde‐4‐ethylthiosemicarbazone (DMABET) in methanol with a molar ratio of mercury(II):DMABET of 1 : 4. The formation constant (K_f) and Gibbs free energy (?G) of the complex showed that the formation of the complex was favorable. The DMABET was investigated as ionophore for Hg(II)‐ion selective electrode (ISE). At optimum pH 1–5 the proposed Hg(II)‐ISE showed an almost Nernstian slope at 27.8±1 mV, with linear regression coefficient, R²=0.995 and a detection limit of 5×10^?6 M. There was no serious interference from silver(I) with selectivity coefficient 5.69×10^?3. The electrode life span was more than 3 months. It has been applied for real water sample analysis and the results were in good agreement with the standard method.     

Novel Copper(II)‐Selective Membrane Electrode Based on a New Synthesized Schiff Base

A PVC membrane electrode for copper(II) ion based on a recently synthesized Schiff base as a suitable ion carrier was constructed. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian slope of 28.3 ± 0.6 mV per decade of Cu²⁺ over a wide concentration range of 7.0 × 10^?6‐2.6 × 10^?2 M with a detection limit of 5.0 × 10^?6M in the pH range of 4.2–5.8. The response time is about 10s and it can be used for at least 1 month without any considerable divergence in potential. It was successfully applied as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of copper ions.     

Novel Gadolinium PVC‐Based Membrane Sensor Based on Omeprazole as an Antibiotic

A novel gadolinium ion‐selective electrode based on the antibiotic omeprazole as membrane carrier was prepared. The electrode has a linear dynamic range between 1.0×10^?1 and 1.0×10^?5 M, with a Nernstian slope of 19.3 ± 0.3 mV decade^?1 and a detection limit of 5.0×10^?6 M. The potentiometric response is independent of the pH of the solution in the pH range 4.0–10.0. The electrode possesses the advantages of short conditioning time, fast response time and especially, very good selectivity over a large number of other cations. The electrode can be used for at least 2 months without any considerable divergence in potentials. It was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Gd(III) ions with EDTA.     

Effect of presence of 18-crown-6 on the response of 1-pyrrolidine dicarbodithioate-based lead selective electrode

The lipophilic ammonium salt of 1-pyrrolidine dicarbodithioic acid (PCDT)[I] was introduced as a selective ionophore for a sensitive Pb-ion selective electrode. Also, the effect of immobilization of 18-crown-6 (CW), into the above membrane, on the electrode performance was discussed. The slope of the PCDT-based [I] electrode was (26–30 mV decade⁻¹), while it was (29-30 mV decade⁻¹) for (PCDT+CW)-based [II] electrode according to the doping time. The linear concentration ranges were (1×10⁻⁶–1×10⁻¹ M) and (5×10⁻⁵–1×10⁻¹ M) for electrode types [I] and [II] after one-day doping. The working pH ranges were (5.0–10.0) and (7.0–10.0) for electrode types [I] and [II], respectively. Most of the common cations were tested for the evaluation of the electrode selectivity with correlation to the ionic radii of the tested cations. Among them only Na⁺, Ag⁺ and Fe³⁺ were the real interference. Application of using the electrode for the determination of lead in lubrication oil samples was performed with RSD (0.86–1.03%). The obtained results were compared to those of an atomic absorption spectrophotometric method.     

Application of Novel Praseodymium (III) PVC‐Membrane Electrode for Determination of Pr(III) Ions in Soil and Sediment Samples

Abstract

A novel Pr(III) ion‐selective polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane sensor, based on N,N‐bis(α‐methylsalicylidene)diethylenetriamine (BMT) as a new ionophore, has been prepared and studied. The electrode showed good selectivity for Pr(III) ion with respect to most common cations, including alkali, alkaline earth, transition, and heavy metal ions. This electrode has a wide linear dynamic range from 1.0×10^?6 to 1.0×10^?2 M with a Nernstian slope of 19.8±0.2 mV per decade and a low detection limit of 6.5×10^?7 M, in the pH range of 3.0–8.4, while response time was rapid (<15 s). As far as applications of the recommended sensor are concerned, first it was employed as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Pr(III) ions with EDTA. Second, it was effectively applied to the determination of concentration of Pr(III) ions in soil and sediment samples, and validation with CRMs.     

Graphite Electrode Coated with a 7,16‐Dibenzyl‐1,4,10,13‐tetraoxa‐7,16‐diazacyclooctadecane‐Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composite as Sensor For Detection of Samarium

A composite multiwalled carbon nanotube polyvinyl chloride electrode based on 7,16‐dibenzyl‐1,4,10,13‐tetraoxa‐7,16‐diazacyclooctadecane (DBDA18C6) as Sm³⁺ ionophore is reported. This potentiometric sensor showed a wide linear working range, 1×10^?2–1×10^?8 M, Nernstian slope, 20.2±0.48 mV per decade and a limit of detection, 6.3±0.36×10^?9 M. It works in the pH range 2.5–8.5 and shows a good selectivity over a number of metal ions. It has been found suitable for the analysis of ores and industrial effluents. The electrode surface is characterized by FRA and AFM.     

Use of a nitrate-selective electrode for perrhenate and perchlorate

The nitate-selective membrane electrode based on tributyloctadecylphosphonium nitrate can be used to quantify perrhenate and perchlorate after appropriate conditioning of the membrane. Near-Nernstian responses are obtained for 10^?3–10^?6 M perrhenate and 10^?2–4 × 10^?6 M perchlorate. Iron(II), copper(II) and chloride do not interfere in moderate amounts; other interferences are discussed. Rhenium leaches are analysed after suitable sample preparation. The electrode is useful in following the potentiometric titration of perrhenate with nitron.