Determination of tantalum with hexafluorotantalate(V)-selective coated graphite electrode

A hexafluorotantalate(V)-selective coated-graphite electrode was prepared by coating a graphite rod with brilliant green-hexafluorotantalate(V) extract in 1-chloronaphthalene in a PVC matrix. Potential measurements were made against an HF-resistant plastic sleeve (Ag/AgCl) external reference electrode. The concentrations of sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids, for the optimum response of the electrode to hexafluorotantalate(V), were found to be 1M each in the test solutions. The electrode responded to hexafluorotantalate(V) in the linear range 5.0 × 10^–6-5.0 × 10^–3 M, with a slope of -58 mV per decade and detection limit of 8.0 × 10^–7 M within 5–15s. The relative standard deviation for six determinations of 1.0 × 10^–4 M tantalum(V) was 2%. The life-time of the electrode was 60 days. The effects of forty diverse ions on the electrode response to the hexafluorotantalate(V) were studied and the electrode was found to be highly selective to hexafluorotantalate(V). Niobium, the element that commonly occurs with tantalum ores, showed a very low level of interference. The newly developed coated-graphite electrode has been applied to the determination of tantalum in tantalite-columbite ores and several synthetic matrices by direct, sample addition, standard addition, and Gran's plot potentiometric techniques with reasonable precision (2–4%) and accuracy.