Fabrication of PVC based membrane using nickel porphyrazine as ionophore in the screening of thiocyanate ion in aqueous and real samples

The [Ni[(TAP)(SBn)8]] complex (I), i.e. ([2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octakis(benzylthio)-5,10,15,20-tetraazaporphyrin])nickel(II), has been explored as an ionophore for fabrication of the PVC based membrane electrodes used in the screening of thiocyanate anion (SCN-). The membrane having [Ni[(TAP)(SBn)8]] complex (I) as an electroactive material and dioctylphthalate (DOP) as plasticizer in the PVC matrix with the percentage ratio 5 : 158 : 200 (I : DOP : PVC, % w/w) exhibited a linear response in the concentration range 7.0 x 10(-6)-1.0 x 10(-1) M of SCN- with a sub-Nernstian slope 32.5 +/- 0.2 mV/decade of activity and a fast response time of 10 +/- 2 s. The sensor works well in the pH range 3.0 - 9.5 and could be satisfactorily used in presence of 50 % (v/v) methanol, ethanol and acetone, and is selective for SCN- over a large number of anions with slight interference from iodide (I-) and azide (N3-) if present at a level >or = 1.0 x 10(-5) M. Described electrode works well over a period of six months. The sensor can be successfully applied for the screening of SCN- in both aqueous and real samples and also as indicator electrodes in precipitation titrations.     

Potentiometric membrane sensors for the selective determination of pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6) in some pharmaceutical formulations

The construction and general performance characteristics of two novel potentiometric PVC membrane sensors responsive to the pyridoxine hydrochloride known as vitamin B6 (VB6) are described. These sensors are based on the use of the ion-association complexes of the pyridoxine cation with phosphomolybdate, and phosphotungstate counter anions as ion pair in a plasticized PVC matrix. The electrodes show a stable, near-Nernstian response for 6x10(-5)-1x10(-2) M VB6 at 25 degrees C over the pH range 2-4 with a cationic slope of 54.0+/-0.5 and 54.5+/-0.4 per concentration decade for pyridoxine-phosphomolybdate and pyridoxine-phosphotungstate respectively. The two electrodes have the same lower detection limit (4x10(-5) M) and the response times are 45-60 and 30-45 s in the same order for both. Selectivity coefficients for VB6 relative to a number of interfering substances were investigated. There is negligible interference from many cations, some vitamins and pharmaceutical excipients. Direct potentiometric determination of 15-2000 microg/ml pyridoxine shows an average recovery of 98.0% and 99.0% with relative standard deviation 1.5% and 1.2% at 100.0 microg/ml for pyridoxine-phosphomolybdate and pyridoxine-phosphotungstate electrodes, respectively. The determination of VB6 in some pharmaceutical preparations using the proposed electrodes gave an average recovery of 98.0 and 99.0% of the nominal value and a mean standard deviation of 1.1% and 0.9% (n=10) for pyridoxine-phosphomolybdate and pyridoxine-phosphotungstate electrodes, respectively. The results compare favorably with data obtained by the British Pharmacopoeia method.     

Stability-indicating methods for the determination of disopyramide phosphate

Four methods were developed for the determination of intact disopyramide phosphate in the presence of its degradation product. In the first and second methods, third-derivative spectrophotometry and first derivative of the ratio spectra were used. For the third-derivative spectrophotometric method, the peak amplitude was measured at 272 nm, while for the derivative ratio spectrophotometric method, disopyramide phosphate was determined by measuring the peak amplitude at 248 and 273 nm. Both methods were used for the determination of disopyramide phosphate in the concentration range 12.5-87.5 microg/mL, with corresponding mean recovery 100.8 +/- 0.7% for the first method and 99.9 +/- 0.7% and 99.6 +/- 0.7% for the second method at 248 and 273 nm, respectively. In the third method, an ion selective electrode (ISE) was fabricated using phosphotungstic acid as an anionic exchanger, PVC as the polymer matrix, and dibutylsebacate as a plasticizer. The ISE was used for the determination of disopyramide phosphate in pure powder form in the concentration range 10(-2)-10(-5) M. The slope was found to be 58.5 (mV/decade), and the average recovery was 99.9 +/- 1.6%. The fourth method depended on the quantitative densitometric determination of the drug in concentration range of 0.25-2.5 microg/spot using silica gel 60 F245 plates and ethyl acetate-chloroform-ammonium hydroxide (85 + 10 + 5, v/v/v) as the mobile phase, with corresponding mean accuracy of 100.3 +/- 1.1%. The 4 proposed methods were found to be specific for disopyramide phosphate in presence of up to 80% of its degradation product for the spectrophotometric methods, 90% of its degradation for the densitometric method, and 40% for the ISE method. The 4 proposed procedures were successfully applied for the determination of disopyramide phosphate in Norpace capsules. Statistical comparison between the results obtained by these methods and the official method of the drug was done, and no significant differences were found.     

A comparative study of liquid and solid inner contact roxatidine acetate ion-selective electrode membranes

A comparative study was conducted using two designs of a roxatidine acetate (ROX)-selective electrode; a conventional liquid inner contact called electrode A and a graphite-coated solid contact called electrode B. The fabrication of electrodes was based on roxatidine-tetraphenylborate (ROX-TPB) as an ion-association complex in a PVC matrix using different plasticizers. Electrode A has a linear dynamic range of 2.2×10-5 mol/L to 1.0×10-2 mol/L, with a Nernstian slope of 54.7 mV/decade and a detection limit of 1.4×10-6 mol/L. Electrode B shows linearity over the concentration range of 1.0×10-6 mol/L to 1.0×10-2 mol/L, with a Nernstian slope of 51.2 mV/decade and a limit of detection of 1.1×10-7 mol/L which is remarkably improved as a result of diminishing ion fluxes in this solid contact, ion-selective electrode. The proposed sensors display useful analytical characteristics for the determination of ROX in bulk powder and its pharmaceutical formulation. The present electrodes show clear discrimination of ROX from several inorganic, organic ions, sugars, some common drug excipients and the degradation product (3-[3-(1-piperidinyl methyl) phenoxy] propyl amine) of ROX. Furthermore, the proposed electrodes were utilized for the determination of ROX in human plasma, where electrode B covers drug Cmax which indicated its applicability to pharmacokinetic, bioavailability and bioequivalent studies. The results obtained by the proposed electrodes were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by a reported HPLC method. No significant difference for either accuracy or precision was observed.     

Preparation of ethambutol-copper(II) complex and fabrication of PVC based membrane potentiometric sensor for copper

Copper(II) complex of ethambutol (I) was prepared and used in the fabrication of Cu(2+) selective ISE membrane. The membrane having Cu(II)-ethambutol complex (I) as electroactive material, along with sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as anion discriminator, dioctylphthalate (DOP) as plasticizer in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix in the percentage ratio 6:2:190:200 (I:NaTPB:DOP:PVC) (w/w) gave a linear response in the concentration range 7.94x10(-6) to 1.0x10(-1) M of Cu(2+) with a slope of 29.9+/-0.2 mV per decade of activity and a fast response time of 11+/-2 s. The sensor works well in the pH range 2.1-6.3 and could be satisfactorily used in presence of 40% (v/v) methanol, ethanol and acetone and is selective for copper over a large number of cations with slight interference from Na(+) and Co(2+) if present at a level 1.5x10(-5) and 6.5x10(-5) M, respectively. It works well over a period of 6 months and can also be used as indicator electrode for the end point determination in the potentiometric titration of Cu(2+) against EDTA as well as in the determination of Cu(2+) in real samples.     

Determination of tartaric acid in wines by FIA with tubular tartrate-selective electrodes

A flow injection analysis (FIA) system comprising a tartrate-(TAT) selective electrode has been developed for determination of tartaric acid in wines. Several electrodes constructed for this purpose had a PVC membrane with a complex of quaternary ammonium and TAT as anion exchanger, a phenol derivative as additive, and a more or less polar mediator solvent. Characterization of the electrodes showed behavior was best for membranes with o-nitrophenyl octyl ether as solvent. On injection of 500 microL into a phosphate buffer carrier (pH = 3.1; ionic strength 10(-2) mol/L) flowing at 3 mL/min, the slope was 58.06 +/- 0.6 with a lower limit of linear range of 5.0 x 10(-4) mol/L TAT and R2 = 0.9989. The interference of several species, e.g. chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate, gallic acid, tannin, sucrose, glucose, fructose, acetate, and citrate, was evaluated in terms of potentiometric selectivity coefficients. The Hofmeister series was followed for inorganic species and the most interfering organic ion was citrate. When red and white wines were analyzed and the results compared with those from an independent method they were found to be accurate, with relative standard deviations below 5.0%.     

Membrane electrodes for the determination of glutathione

Four glutathione (GSH)-selective electrodes were developed with different techniques and in different polymeric matrices. Precipitation-based technique with bathophenanthroline-ferrous as cationic exchanger in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix was used for sensor 1 fabrication. β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD)-based technique with either tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)borate (TpClPB) or bathophenanthroline-ferrous as fixed anionic and cationic sites in PVC matrix was used for fabrication of sensors 2 and 3, respectively.β-CD-based technique with TpClPB as fixed anionic site in polyurethane (Tecoflex) matrix was used for sensor 4 fabrication. Linear responses of 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ M and 1 × 10⁻⁶ to 1 × 10⁻³ M with slopes of 37.5 and 32.0 mV/decade within pH 7-8 were obtained by using electrodes 1 and 3, respectively. On the other hand, linear responses of 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻² and 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻³ M with slopes of 47.9 and 54.3 mV/decade within pH 5-6 were obtained by using electrodes 2 and 4, respectively. The percentage recoveries for determination of GSH by the four proposed GSH-selective electrodes were 100 ± 1, 100.5 ± 0.7, 100 ± 1 and 99.0 ± 0.8% for sensors 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Determination of GSH in capsules by the proposed electrodes revealed their applicability for determination of GSH in its pharmaceutical formulations. Also, they were used to determine GSH selectively in presence of its oxidized form (GSSG). Sensor 4 was successfully applied for determination of glutathione in plasma with average recovery of 100.4 ± 1.11%. The proposed method was compared with a reported one. No significant difference for both accuracy and precision was observed.     

Ion-selective electrodes based on metalloporphyrins for gibberellic acid determination in agricultural products

This work describes the construction, evaluation and analytical application of electrodes selective to the gibberellate anion for the determination of gibberellic acid in agricultural products. Several types of PVC membrane electrodes without internal reference solution were prepared using the manganese(III) complex of meso -tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) as ionophore and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), as plasticizer. The incorporation of lipophilic chemical species as additives, was also carried out aiming the evaluation of the response characteristics of the electrodes. To accomplish the analysis of commercial agricultural products a selective membrane composed of 28.0% (w/w) of PVC, 66.0% (w/w) of plasticizer and 6% (w/w) of ionophore was used, with no additive. This potentiometric unit presented a linear response between 10^-4 and 10^-1 mol L^-1 in gibberellate, a slope of about ⫙ mV dec^-1 and a reproducibility of about ǃ mV day^-1. The potentiometric analysis of gibberellic acid in commercial products was carried out by direct potentiometry and the results obtained were compared with those provided by HPLC.     

Complexation of polyvalent cyclodextrin ions with oppositely charged guests: entropically favorable complexation due to dehydration

Thermodynamic parameters for complexation of polyvalent cyclodextrin (CD) cation and anion with oppositely charged guests have been determined in D2O containing 0.02 M NaCl by means of 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Protonated heptakis(6-amino-6-deoxy)-beta-CD (per-NH3+-beta-CD) forms stable inclusion complexes with monovalent guest anions. The enthalpy (deltaH) and entropy changes (deltaS) for complexation of per-NH3+-beta-CD with p-methylbenzoate anion (p-CH3-Ph-CO2-) are 3.8 +/- 0.7 kJ mol(-1) and 88.6 +/- 2.2 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively. The deltaH and deltaS values for the native beta-CD-p-CH3-Ph-CO2- system are -8.6 +/- 0.1 kJ mol(-1) and 15.3 +/- 0.7 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively. The thermodynamic parameters clearly indicate that dehydration from both the host and guest ions accounts for the entropic gain in inclusion process of p-CH3-Ph-CO2- into the per-NH3+-beta-CD cavity. The fact that the neutral guests such as 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene and p-methylbenzyl alcohol hardly form the complexes with per-NH3+-beta-CD exhibits that van der Waals and/or hydrophobic interactions do not cause the complexation of the polyvalent CD cation with the monovalent anion. The acetate anion is not included into the per-NH3+-beta-CD cavity, while the butanoate and hexanoate anions form the inclusion complexes. The complexation of the alkanoate anions is entropically dominated. Judging from these results, it may be concluded that Coulomb interactions cooperated with inclusion are required for realizing the large entropic gain due to extended dehydration. Entropically favorable complexation was also observed for the anionic CD-cationic guest system. The present study might present a general mechanism for ion pairing in water.     

A solid-contact Pb(2+)-selective electrode using poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene) as ion-to-electron transducer

In this work, a novel all-solid-state polymeric membrane Pb(2+)-selective electrode was developed by using for the first time poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) as solid contact. To demonstrate the ion-to-electron transducing ability of MEH-PPV, chronopotentiometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were carried out. The proposed electrodes showed a Nernstian response of 29.1 mV decade(-1) and a lower detection limit of subnanomolar level. No water film was observed with the conventional plasticized PVC membrane. This work demonstrates a new strategy for the fabrication of robust potentiometric ion sensors.     

Fabrication of Membrane Sensitive Electrodes for the Validated Electrochemical Quantification of Anti-Osteoporotic Drug Residues in Pharmaceutical Industrial Wastewater

Accurate and precise application of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) in the quantification of environmental pollutants is a strenuous task. In this work, the electrochemical response of alendronate sodium trihydrate (ALN) was evaluated by the fabrication of two sensitive and delicate membrane electrodes, viz. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. A linear response was obtained at concentrations from 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻² M for both electrodes. A Nernstian slope of 29 mV/decade over a pH range of 8–11 for the PVC and GC membrane electrodes was obtained. All assay settings were carefully adjusted to obtain the best electrochemical response. The proposed technique was effectively applied for the quantification of ALN in pure form and wastewater samples, acquired from manufacturing industries. The proposed electrodes were effectively used for the determination of ALN in real wastewater samples without any prior treatment. The current findings guarantee the applicability of the fabricated ISEs for the environmental monitoring of ALN.     

Liquid and poly (vinyl chloride) matrix membrane electrodes for the selective determination of cocaine in illicit powders

The construction of liquid membrane and PVC matrix-type cocainium ion selective electrodes and their use for direct potentiometry and potentiometric titration of cocaine are described. The ion-pair complexes of cocaine cation with reineckate and tetraphenylborate anions are either dissolved in nitrobenzene solvent or dispersed in a PVC matrix, with DOP or DBS plasticizer, and used as the ion-exchange membranes. The electrochemical response characteristics of electrodes incorporating these types of membranes are evaluated with regard to the effect of pH, foreign basic compounds, temperature and gamma-radiation. The electrodes display a stable fast Nernstian response for 10(-2)-10(-5)M cocainium cation over the pH range 3-7, the lower limit of detection being 1 mug/ml. Determination of as low as 20 mug/ml cocaine hydrochloride shows an average recovery of 98% and a mean standard deviation of +/-0.6%. The electrodes exhibit useful analytical characteristics for determining cocaine in some illicit powders. The results agree fairly well with those obtained by gas-liquid chromatography.     

Kinetic studies of reactions of the nitrate radical (NO3) with peroxy radicals (RO2): an indirect source of OH at night?

A discharge-flow system, coupled to cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) detection systems for NO3 at lambda=662 nm and NO2 at lambda=404 nm, was used to investigate the kinetics of the reactions of NO3 with eight peroxy radicals at P approximately 5 Torr and T approximately 295 K. Values of the rate constants obtained were (k/10(-12) cm3 molecule-1 s-1): CH3O2 (1.1+/-0.5), C2H5O2 (2.3+/-0.7), CH2FO2 (1.4+/-0.9), CH2ClO2 (3.8(+1.4)(-2.6)), c-C5H9O2 (1.2(+1.1)(-0.5)), c-C6H11O2 (1.9+/-0.7), CF3O2 (0.62+/-0.17) and CF3CFO2CF3 (0.24+/-0.13). We explore possible relationships between k and the orbital energies of the reactants. We also provide a brief discussion of the potential impact of the reactions of NO3 with RO2 on the chemistry of the night-time atmosphere.     

4'-picrylamino-5'-nitrobenzo-18-crown-6 as a sensing reagent in potassium ion-selective electrode membranes

Five crown ethers, namely, 4'-picrylamino-5'-nitrobenzo-18-crown-6 (I), dibenzo-18-crown-6 (III), dibenzo-30-crown-10 (IV), dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (V) and bis-[(benzo-15-crown-5)-15-ylmethyl pimelate] (VI) have been compared with valinomycin (II) for their role as potassium ion-sensors in PVC matrix membrane ion-selective electrodes (ISEs). Sensor I was found to be the best, but fell short of the high quality of the well established sensor II (valinomycin) in terms of selectivity towards potassium over sodium and ammonium. Nevertheless, electrodes made from membranes containing sensor I, 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) or 2-nitrophenyl phenyl ether and potassium tetra-p-chloro-phenylborate (anion excluder) in PVC were of long lifetimes. The loss of slope of the ISEs is linked to small falls in the electrical resistance of the ISE membranes; this being associated with leaching of sensor and solvent mediator from the membranes into test or storage solutions. No chromatographic evidence was found of anion excluder being leached.     

Selective potentiometric determination of zolpidem hemitartrate in tablets and biological fluids by using polymeric membrane electrodes

The construction and electrochemical response characteristics of 4 polymeric membrane sensors were investigated for potentiometric determination of zolpidem hemitartrate. The construction of the 4 sensors was based on the formation of ion-pair complexes between the drug cation and ionic sites in the ratio of 1:2, respectively. Two of the sensors were constructed by using ammonium reineckate or ammonium tungstate as the fixed ionic site in a polymeric matrix of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (sensors 1 and 2). Linear responses over the concentration range of 10(-5)-10(-3)M, with cationic slopes of 30 and 30.7 mV per concentration decade, were obtained by using sensors 1 and 2, respectively. The third sensor was fabricated by using PVC carboxylate (PVC-COOH). The dissociated COOH groups in the PVC-COOH act as a mediator and/or ionic site. A linear response was obtained over the concentration range of 10(-5)-10(-2)M with a cationic slope of 29 mV per concentration decade. Sensor 4 was fabricated by using 2,6-didodecyl-beta-cyclodextrin as the ionophore, polyurethane (Tecoflex) as a polymeric matrix, and potassium tetraphenyl borate as the ionic site; it showed a linear response over the concentration range of 10(-7)-10(-2)M with a cationic slope of 28.9 mV per concentration decade. The direct potentiometric determination of zolpidem hemitartrate in pure forms by using the 4 proposed sensors gave average recoveries of 98.5+/-0.7, 99.4 +/-0.2, 100.7+/-0.10, and 99.8+/-0.1% for sensors 1-4, respectively. The results obtained by the proposed procedures were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by using a reported method. The 4 proposed sensors were also applied successfully to the determination of the drug in tablets and in biological fluids. Average recoveries obtained by using sensors 1, 2, 3, and 4 for drug assay of tablets were 99.6+/-0.6, 100+/-0.7, 99.7+/-0.4, and 99.5+/-0.8%, respectively. The presence of tablet excipients did not interfere with the determination of the drug or with the accuracy and precision of the 4 proposed methods. The methods were also used to determine the drug in the presence of its degradates and thus could be used as stability-indicating methods.     

Ion-selective electrodes for potentiometric determination of ranitidine hydrochloride, applying batch and flow injection analysis techniques.

New ranitidine hydrochloride (RaCl)-selective electrodes of the conventional polymer membrane type are described. They are based on incorporation of ranitidine-tetraphenylborate (Ra-TPB) ion-pair or ranitidine-phosphotungstate (RaPT) ion-associate in a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane plasticized with dioctylphthalate (DOP) or dibutylphthalate (DBP). The electrodes are fully characterized in terms of the membrane composition, solution temperature, and pH. The sensors showed fast and stable responses. Nernstian response was found over the concentration range of 2.0 x 10(-5) M to 1.0 x 10(-2) M and 1.0 x 10(-5) M to 1.0 x 10(-2) M in the case of Ra-TPB electrode and over the range of 1.03 x 10(-5) M to 1.00 x 10(-2) M and 1.0 x 10(-5) M to 1.0 x 10(-2) M in the case of Ra-PT electrode for batch and FIA systems, respectively. The electrodes exhibit good selectivity for RaCl with respect to a large number of common ions, sugars, amino acids, and components other than ranitidine hydrochloride of the investigated mixed drugs. The electrodes have been applied to the potentiometric determination of RaCl in pure solutions and in pharmaceutical preparations under batch and flow injection conditions with a lower detection limit of 1.26 x 10(-5) M and 5.62 x 10(-6) M at 25 +/- 1 degrees C. An average recovery of 100.91% and 100.42% with a relative standard deviation of 0.72% and 0.53% has been achieved.     

Salicylate-Selective PVC Membrane Electrodes Based on Tribenzyltin(IV) Phenolates as Neutral Carriers

ABSTRACT

A series of tribenzyltin(IV) phenolates were synthesized and used as anion ionophores for PVC membrane electrodes; these novel electrodes exhibit a linear response towards salicylate and an anti-Hofmeister selectivity pattern with high specificity for salicylate over many common anions. The results show that the behavior of the electrodes is considerably influenced by the structures of the carriers and the experimental conditions. Electrodes based on tribenzyltin(IV) p-nitrophenolate possess the best potentiometnc response characteristics and show a linear log[Sal^?] vs. EMF response over the concentration range 0.1–3.98×10^?6 mol.L^?1 in phosphate buffer solutions of pH 5.38 with a detection limit of 2.51×10^?6 mol.L^?1 and a slope of -57.05 mV per decade. The response mechanism was also investigated by use of a.c. impedance and anion transport across liquid membranes. The electrodes were applied to the determination of salicylate in urine samples with satisfactory results.     

Thermochemical studies of N-methylpyrazole and N-methylimidazole

The 351.1 nm photoelectron spectra of the N-methyl-5-pyrazolide anion and the N-methyl-5-imidazolide anion are reported. The photoelectron spectra of both isomers display extended vibrational progressions in the X2A' ground states of the corresponding radicals that are well reproduced by Franck-Condon simulations, based on the results of B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) calculations. The electron affinities of the N-methyl-5-pyrazolyl radical and the N-methyl-5-imidazolyl radical are 2.054 +/- 0.006 eV and 1.987 +/- 0.008 eV, respectively. Broad vibronic features of the A(2)A' ' states are also observed in the spectra. The gas-phase acidities of N-methylpyrazole and N-methylimidazole are determined from measurements of proton-transfer rate constants using a flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube instrument. The acidity of N-methylpyrazole is measured to be Delta(acid)G(298) = 376.9 +/- 0.7 kcal mol(-1) and Delta(acid)H(298) = 384.0 +/- 0.7 kcal mol(-1), whereas the acidity of N-methylimidazole is determined to be Delta(acid)G(298) = 380.2 +/- 1.0 kcal mol(-1) and Delta(acid)H(298)= 388.1 +/- 1.0 kcal mol(-1). The gas-phase acidities are combined with the electron affinities in a negative ion thermochemical cycle to determine the C5-H bond dissociation energies, D(0)(C5-H, N-methylpyrazole) = 116.4 +/- 0.7 kcal mol(-1) and D(0)(C5-H, N-methylimidazole) = 119.0 +/- 1.0 kcal mol(-1). The bond strengths reported here are consistent with previously reported bond strengths of pyrazole and imidazole; however, the error bars are significantly reduced.     

Boronic esters as ionophores for potentiometric discrimination of the cis-trans isomeric dicarboxylic acids

Boronic esters incorporated into a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-supported liquid membrane electrodes have displayed an anionic ionophore properties enabling their use in the potentiometric high-throughput screening procedures. These compounds belong to the class of ligands in which the anion recognition process can be explained on the concept of Lewis type acid-base interactions. Membranes containing boronic esters showed fairly good sensitivity for maleate (cis-isomer) in comparison to fumarate anions (trans-isomer). The potentiometric selectivity coefficients of proposed electrodes proved that common anions did not interfered with the maleate anion determination. The influence of structure of the three boronic esters ionophores on generation of potentiometric signal by developed liquid membrane electrodes was shortly discussed.     

Construction and performance characterization of ion-selective electrodes for potentiometric determination of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride applying batch and flow injection analysis techniques

New pseudoephedrine selective electrodes have been constructed of the conventional polymer membrane type by incorporation of pseudoephedrine-phosphotungstate (PE-PT) or pseudoephedrine-silicotungstate (PE-SiT) ion-associates in a poly vinyl chloride (PVC) membrane plasticized with dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The electrodes were fully characterized in terms of the membrane composition, temperature, and pH. The electrodes exhibited mean slopes of calibration graphs of 57.09 and 56.10 mV concentration decade(-1) of PECl at 25 degrees C for (PE-PT) and (PE-SiT) electrodes, respectively. The electrodes showed fast, stable, and near-Nernstian response over the concentration ranges 6.31 x 10(-6)-1.00 x 10(-2) and 5.00 x 10(-5)-1.00x10(-2) M in the case of PE-PT applying batch and flow injection (FI) analysis, respectively, and 1.00 x 10(-5)-1.00 x 10(-2) and 5.00 x 10(-5)-1.00x10(-2) M in the case of PE-SiT for batch and FI analysis system, respectively. Detection limit was 5.01x 10(-6) M for PE-PT electrode and 6.31x10(-6) M for PE-SiT electrode. The electrodes were successfully applied for the potentiometric determination of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (PECl) in pharmaceutical preparations with mean recovery 101.13 +/- 0.85% and 100.77+0.79% in case of PE-PT applying batch and flow injection systems, respectively, and 100.75+0.85% and 100.79 +/- 0.77% in case of PE-SiT for batch and flow injection systems, respectively. The electrodes exhibited good selectivity for PECl with respect to a large number of inorganic cations, sugars and amino acids.