Copper(II)-selective membrane electrode based on a recently synthesized naphthol-derivative Schiff’s base

A PVC membrane electrode for copper(II) ions based on a recently synthesized naphthol-derivative Schiff’s base as membrane carrier was prepared. The sensor exhibits a Nernstian response for Cu²⁺ ions over a wide concentration range (5.0 × 10^–6–5.0 × 10^–2 mol/L) with a detection limit of 3.1 × 10^–6 mol/L (0.2 μg/mL). It has a very short response time of about 5 s and can be used for ?3 months without any divergence in potential. The proposed electrode revealed good selectivities over a wide variety of other cations including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions and could be used in a pH range of 4.0–7.0. It was successfully applied to the direct determination and potentiometric titration of copper ion. Received: 23 February 1999 / Revised: 4 May 1999 / Accepted: 5 May 1999     

Studies on the cationic selectivity of the potentiometric membrane containing thiamine metatungstate as ionophore

An unconventional structure was obtained by extraction of K⁺ ions with nitrobenzene solution of thiamine metatungstate. This shows that K⁺ penetration into the organic phase is not an exchange process. The solution of thiamine metatungstate in nitrobenzene acts as a spacial structure that entraps K⁺ ions in a molar ratio of 1 : 2. The absence of a chemical reaction between K⁺ and the metatungstic anion (proved experimentally) and the specificity of the interaction with K⁺, suggests that the formation of the structure potassium – thiamine metatungstate (KTM) could be controlled by dimensional criteria. The nitrobenzene solution of KTM shows a remarkable potentiometric selectivity for K⁺ compared with any other alkaline and alkaline earth cations. The potentiometric K⁺-selective electrode, based on KTM as ionophore, responds linearly in the range 3.8 × 10^–5–1.0 × 10^–1 mol/L, with a slope of 56 mV/ decade and a detection limit of 1.2 × 10^–5 mol/L. The electrode maintained these response characteristics over a period of more than two months. Received: 12 May 1998 / Revised: 28 July 1998 / Accepted: 30 July 1998     

Studies on the cationic selectivity of the potentiometric membrane containing thiamine metatungstate as ionophore

An unconventional structure was obtained by extraction of K⁺ ions with nitrobenzene solution of thiamine metatungstate. This shows that K⁺ penetration into the organic phase is not an exchange process. The solution of thiamine metatungstate in nitrobenzene acts as a spacial structure that entraps K⁺ ions in a molar ratio of 1 : 2. The absence of a chemical reaction between K⁺ and the metatungstic anion (proved experimentally) and the specificity of the interaction with K⁺, suggests that the formation of the structure potassium – thiamine metatungstate (KTM) could be controlled by dimensional criteria. The nitrobenzene solution of KTM shows a remarkable potentiometric selectivity for K⁺ compared with any other alkaline and alkaline earth cations. The potentiometric K⁺-selective electrode, based on KTM as ionophore, responds linearly in the range 3.8 × 10^–5–1.0 × 10^–1 mol/L, with a slope of 56 mV/ decade and a detection limit of 1.2 × 10^–5 mol/L. The electrode maintained these response characteristics over a period of more than two months. Received: 12 May 1998 / Revised: 28 July 1998 / Accepted: 30 July 1998     

Copper(II)-selective membrane electrode based on a recently synthesized naphthol-derivative Schiff’s base

A PVC membrane electrode for copper(II) ions based on a recently synthesized naphthol-derivative Schiff’s base as membrane carrier was prepared. The sensor exhibits a Nernstian response for Cu²⁺ ions over a wide concentration range (5.0 × 10^–6–5.0 × 10^–2 mol/L) with a detection limit of 3.1 × 10^–6 mol/L (0.2 μg/mL). It has a very short response time of about 5 s and can be used for ¶3 months without any divergence in potential. The proposed electrode revealed good selectivities over a wide variety of other cations including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions and could be used in a pH range of 4.0–7.0. It was successfully applied to the direct determination and potentiometric titration of copper ion.     

Platinum electrode coated with a bentonite–carbon composite as an environmental sensor for detection of lead

A Pt wire coated with a bentonite–carbon composite in a poly(vinyl chloride) membrane was used for detection of lead. The sensor has a Nernstian slope of 29.42±0.50 mV per decade over a wide range of concentration, 1.0×10⁻⁷ to 1.0×10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ Pb(NO₃)₂. The detection limit is 5.0×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ Pb(NO₃)₂ and the electrode is applicable in the pH range 3.0–6.7. It has a response time of approximately 10 s and can be used at least for three months. The electrode has good selectivity relative to nineteen other metal ions. The practical analytical utility of the electrode is demonstrated by measurement of Pb(II) in industrial waste and river water samples.     

Subnanomolar determination of a beryllium ion by a novel Be(II) microsensor based on 4-nitrobenzo-9-crown-3-ether

In this work, for the first time, we introduce a highly selective and sensitive Be(II) microsensor. 4-nitrobenzo-9-crown-3-ether (NBCE) was used as a membrane-active component to prepare a Be(II)-selective polymeric membrane microelectrode. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response toward Be(II) ions over a very wide concentration range (1.0 × 10⁻⁴–1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ M), with a detection limit of 3.5 × 10⁻¹¹ M (∼350 pg/L). In fact, the electrode presents a fast response time in the whole concentration range (6 s). The proposed microelectrode can be used for at least six weeks without any considerable divergence in the potentials. The proposed membrane sensor revealed a selectivity toward Be(II) ions over a wide variety of other metal ions including common alkali, alkaline-earth, and rare-earth ions. It could be used in the pH range of 3.0–11.5. The microelectrode was successfully used as an indicator electrode for the titration of 20 mL of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ M Be²⁺ solution with 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M of EDTA. It was also applied to the direct determination of beryllium ions in beryl and binary mixtures. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Determination of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos by cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry

The adsorption behavior and differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos (CP) were investigated at the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). The pesticide was accumulated at the HMDE and a well-defined stripping peak was obtained at –1.2 V vs Ag/AgCl electrode at pH 7.50. A voltammetric procedure was developed for the trace determination of Chlorpyrifos using differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DP-CASV). The optimum working conditions for the determination of the compound were established. The peak current was linear over the concentration range 9.90 × 10^–8– 5.96 × 10^–7 mol/L of Chlorpyrifos. The influence of diverse ions and some other pesticides was investigated. The analysis of Chlorpyrifos in commercial formulations and treated waste water was carried out satisfactorily Received: 10 July 1997 / Revised: 1 April 1998 / Accepted: 6 April 1998     

Flow injection chemiluminescence determination of medazepam

A new flow injection chemiluminescence method for the assay of medazepam is explored. The method involves the use of permanganate in sulfuric acid for the oxidation of medazepam with the emission of chemiluminescence detected by a photomultiplier tube. A simplex procedure was employed for optimising the conditions for high sensitivity detection, which were found to be 1.03 × 10^–3 mol L^–1 permanganate, 0.153 mol L^–1 sulfuric acid and 3.43 mL min^–1 flow rate. The linear calibration range was 3.7 × 10^–5 to 1.7 × 10^–3 mol L^–1. The detection limit (3σ) and the sample throughput were 1.85 × 10^–5 mol L^–1 and 100 per hour, respectively. The relative standard deviation for 5 replicate determinations of 1.9 × 10^–4 mol L^–1 medazepam was 0.15%. Common excipients (starch, glucose, maltose, lactose) used in pharmaceutical preparations had no effect. Received: 2 February 1998 / Revised: 20 May 1998 / Accepted: 25 May 1998     

Vermiculite clay mineral as an effective carbon paste electrode modifier for the preconcentration and voltammetric determination of Hg(II) and Ag(I) ions

A vermiculite modified carbon paste electrode (VMCPE) was employed for the in situ preconcentration of traces of Hg(II) and Ag(I) via an ion-exchange route. Heavy metal ions were accumulated in Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer pH 7 for Hg(II) and pH 6 for Ag(I), and afterwards reduced at –0.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the separate measurement solution (BR buffer pH 5 + 0.05 mol/L NaNO₃) prior to the anodic stripping square-wave voltammetric (ASSWV) detection. For Hg(II) ions, at 15 min accumulation, a linear range from 1.0 × 10^–7 to 8.0 × 10^–6 mol/L was obtained, with a 5.7 × 10^–8 mol/L limit of detection. The VMCPE response was linear for Ag(I) ions in the concentration range from 2.0 × 10^–7 to 8.0 × 10^–6 mol/L, at 10 min accumulation with a corresponding limit of detection of 6.3 × 10^–8 mol/L. The relative standard deviation of the analytical procedure including accumulation from a 5 × 10^–7 mol/L solution of Hg (15 min) or Ag(I) (10 min), electrolysis, ASSWV detection, regeneration and activation of the VMCPE, was 4% (n = 6). The optimisation of the parameters for the application of the VMCPE in combination with ASSWV detection is presented and discussed. Received: 10 July 1997 / Revised: 31 October 1997 / Accepted: 3 November 1997     

Mercury-selective membrane electrode based on methyl substituted dibenzo tetraphenyl tetraaza macrocycle

A new polystyrene based membrane electrode of methyl substituted 6,7:13,14-dibenzo-2,4,9,11-tetraphenyl-1,5,8,12-tetraazacyclotetradeca-1,4,6,8,11,13-hexaene (I) with sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as anion excluder and plasticizing agent was prepared and investigated as Hg (II)-selective electrode. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response for Hg (II) ions over a wide concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻¹–8.9 × 10⁻⁶ M with a slope of 30 ± 1 mV per decade concentration. It has a response time of 10 s and can be used for at least 4 months without any divergence in potentials. The membrane works satisfactorily in a partially non-aqueous medium up to a maximum 30% (v/v) content of methanol and ethanol. The proposed sensor revealed good selectivity over a wide variety of other cations including alkali, alkaline earth, heavy and transition metal ions and could be used in a pH range of 2.5–5.0. Normal interferents like Ag⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ low interfere in the working of the electrode. The electrode was successfully used in the direct determination of Hg²⁺ in aqueous solution.     

Silver(I)-selective electrode based on [Bz2Oxo4(18)dieneS4] tetrathia macrocyclic carrier

A polystyrene-based membrane of 7,8:16,17-dibenzo-6,9,15,18-tetraoxo-1,5,10,14-tetrathiacyclooctadeca-7,16-diene [Bz₂Oxo₄(18)dieneS₄] was fabricated using sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) and dioctyl phthalate (DOP) as anion excluder and plasticizing agent. The best performance was obtained from the membrane with the composition ionophore [Bz₂Oxo₄(18)dieneS₄]:polystyrene:DOP:NaTPB, 5:100:150:10 (w/w). The response of the electrode was linear over a wide range of concentration, 1.26×10^–6–1.00×10^–1 mol L⁻¹ for silver ion with a Nernstian slope of 58.4±0.1 mV per decade and a detection limit of 1.0×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The electrode was found to be chemically inert and of adequate stability with a response time of 10 s and could be used for a period of 3 months without change of potential. It worked satisfactorily in mixtures containing up to 35% (v/v) non-aqueous content. The proposed membrane sensor had good selectivity for Ag⁺ over a wide variety of metal ions in the pH range 2.2–8.5. It was successfully used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of silver ion. The electrode was also useful for determination of Ag⁺ in waste from photographic films.     

An Ni(chitin)2 modified nitric oxide microsensor

The development of a simple, sensitive, selective, and stable amperometric nitric oxide microsensor is described. It is based on Ni(chitin)₂ mediators immobilized on a platinum, Nafion modified electrode. The detection of NO is based on the Ni(chitin)₂ catalysis of NO oxidation at an anodic potential of +0.74 V (vs. SCE). The catalytic peak current is linear for a NO concentration in the range of 8.5 × 10^–8 mol/L to 1.5 × 10^–5 mol/L, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992. The detection limit of the microsensor is 5.0 × 10^–8 mol/L. It is suitable for the direct measurement of NO in biological systems. Received: 5 February 1999 / Revised: 15 June 1999 / Accepted: 17 June 1999     

Voltammetric determination of cadmium(II) using a chemically modified electrode

An 1-(pyridylazo)-2-naphthol modified glassy carbon electrode has been investigated as sensor for the measurement of trace levels of Cd²⁺. Cd²⁺ is deposited on the surface of a PAN modified glassy carbon electrode at –1.10 V (vs. SCE) via forming Cd²⁺–PAN and subsequent reduction at the electrode. In the following step, Cd-PAN is oxidized, and voltammograms are recorded by scanning the potential in a positive direction. Calibration plots were found to be linear in the range 2 × 10^–8 mol/L to 8 × 10^–7 mol/L. The detection limit was 5 × 10^–10 mol/L, and the coefficient of variation, determined on one single electrode at a concentration of 5 × 10^–7 mol/L, was calculated to be 3.2% (n = 5). Using this new kind of modified electrode, trace levels of Cd(II) in water samples were determined; the average recovery was calculated to be 98.78%. Received: 17 August 2000 / Revised: 19 December 2000 / Accepted: 27 December 2000     

Arylboronic compounds – novel carriers for catecholamine selective membrane electrodes

Arylboronic acids are used as novel carriers for membrane electrodes suitable for direct potentiometric determination of the catecholamine drug dobutamine. The carriers are capable of binding diol groups of catecholamines; solvent extraction data confirm the formation of an 1 : 1 complex. For the electrode based on octyloxyphenylboronic acid, the slope of electrode function is S = 58 mV decade^–1; the detection limit is 1.7 · 10^–5 mol/L, the linear range 5 · 10^–4– 1 · 10^–2 mol/L, the response time 10–20 s. The results suggest the potential use of boronic carriers for the detection of biogenic catecholamines. Received: 25 November 1998 / Revised: 2 March 1999 / Accepted: 11 March 1999     

Amperometric determination of ascorbic acid at a novel ‘self-doped’ polyaniline modified microelectrode

A ‘self-doped’ polyaniline modified microelectrode, prepared by cyclic potential sweep on a microdisk gold electrode from –0.2 to 0.85 V in 0.5 mol/L sulfuric acid containing aniline and o-aminobenzoic acid, has been developed. The copolymerized process and the resulting polymer characteristics were investigated in detail. This composite film indicated a good electrochemical activity in a wide pH range even in basic solution. Meanwhile, the redox couple exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of ascorbic acid. The oxidation overpotential of ascorbic acid was decreased over 200 mV at this modified electrode compared with a bare gold one. Moreover, the effects of film thickness and pH on the catalytic efficiency were further studied. The dependence of catalytic currents on the concentration of ascorbic acid was linear in the range of 1.2 × 10^–5∼ 2.4 × 10^–3 mol/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. Also, the determination of ascorbic acid in actual samples was evaluated and the results are satisfactory. Received: 7 October 1997 / Revised: 3 February 1998 / Accepted: 7 February 1998     

The europium/samarium-2-benzoyl-indane-1,3-dione-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide fluorescence system and its analytical application

The fluorescence system of the Eu³⁺ (or/and Sm³⁺)-2-benzoyl-indane-1,3-dione(BID)-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) was investigated at excitation wavelengths of 350 nm, and emission wavelengths at 612 nm for europium and 565, 606 and 650 nm for samarium, respectively. The system was used for the determination of Eu and Sm in rare earth oxides and of BID in water. Europium or/and samarium could be determined in the range of 1.0 × 10^–9–1.0 × 10^–5 mol/L and 2.0 × 10^–8–5.0 × 10^–5 mol/L, respectively; 1.0 × 10^–6–2.0 × 10^–5 mol/L of BID could also be determined. Received: 5 March 1997 / Revised: 6 August 1997 / Accepted: 20 September 1997     

The europium/samarium-2-benzoyl-indane-1,3-dione-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide fluorescence system and its analytical application

The fluorescence system of the Eu³⁺ (or/and Sm³⁺)-2-benzoyl-indane-1,3-dione(BID)-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) was investigated at excitation wavelengths of 350 nm, and emission wavelengths at 612 nm for europium and 565, 606 and 650 nm for samarium, respectively. The system was used for the determination of Eu and Sm in rare earth oxides and of BID in water. Europium or/and samarium could be determined in the range of 1.0 × 10^–9–1.0 × 10^–5 mol/L and 2.0 × 10^–8–5.0 × 10^–5 mol/L, respectively; 1.0 × 10^–6–2.0 × 10^–5 mol/L of BID could also be determined. Received: 5 March 1997 / Revised: 6 August 1997 / Accepted: 20 September 1997     

A PVC plasticized membrane sensor for nickel ions

A new PVC membrane sensor, which is highly selective towards Ni (II) ions, has been developed using a thiophene-derivative Schiff base as the ionophore. The best performance was exhibited by the membrane having the composition percentage ratio of 5:3:61:31 (ionophore:NaTPB:DBP:PVC) (w/w), where NaTPB is the anion excluder, sodium tetraphenylborate and DBP is the plasticizing agent (dibutyl phthalate). The membrane exhibited a good Nernstian response for nickel ions over the concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻¹–5.0 × 10⁻⁶ M (limit of detection is 1.8 × 10⁻⁶ M) with a slope of 29.5 ± 1.0 mV per decade of activity. It has a fast response time of <20 s and can be used for a period of 4 months with good reproducibility. The sensor is suitable for use in aqueous solutions of a wide pH range of 3.2–7.9. The sensor shows high selectivity to nickel ions over a large number of mono-, bi- and trivalent cations. It has been successfully used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of nickel ions against EDTA and also for direct determination of nickel content in real samples – wastewater samples from electroplating industries and Indian chocolates.     

Preparation and evaluation of a functionalized polymer-coated silica based sorbent for metal ion separation

A silica based sorbent with an anion complexone polymer coating, [24]ane-N₆ macrocycle, was prepared. The chelation properties of this material were investigated by elemental analysis, infrared spectra and Voige’s method. The polymer-coated silica column (25– 40 μm, 100 × 4.6 mm i.d.) was employed for trace metal analyses. Oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, phthalic acid and acetic acid were used as mobile phases. Their retention characteristics were elucidated. Oxalic acid was found to be the most effective eluent. With a mobile phase consisting of oxalic acid (25 mM) and sodium nitrate (25 mM) at pH 4.2, the separation of copper(II), cadmium(II), cobalt(II) and zinc(II) in sea water could be achieved. The identification of metal ions was performed at 510 nm using 4(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (1 × 10^–4 M) as post column reagent. The limits of detection were 5 × 10^–7 M, 1 × 10^–5 M, 3 × 10^–5 M and 2 × 10^–6 M for copper(II), cadmium(II), cobalt(II) and zinc(II) based on three times the standard deviation of the response for the lowest concentration (n = 5) in the chromatogram with a sample volume of 50 μL. For evaluation of data reliability, oyster tissue (NIST SRM 1566 a) was studied with the proposed system. Received: 9 February 1998 / Revised: 15 May 1998 / Accepted: 16 June 1998     

Chemiluminescence flow system for the determination of sulfite

A novel chemiluminescence(CL) flow system for sulfite is described based on electrostatically immobilized luminol on an anion exchange column. Sulfite is detected by the CL reaction with luminol bleeding from the column by hydrolysis. The calibration graph is linear in the range 3 × 10^–7 to 1 × 10^–5 mol/L, and the detection limit is 1 × 10^–7 mol/L. Interfering metal ions co-existing in sample solutions could be effectively eliminated on-line by an upstream cation exchanger. A complete analysis could be performed in 1 min with a relative standard deviation of less than 5%. The system could be reused for over 50 h and has been applied successfully to the determination of sulfur dioxide in air. Received: 21 October 1997 / Revised: 23 February 1998 / Accepted: 26 February 1998