A New PVC-Membrane Electrode Based on a Macrocyclic Ionophore for Selective Determination of Ni (II) Ions

A poly(vinyl chloride)-based membrane of 3,4:12,13-dibenzo-1,6,10,15-tetraazacyclooctadecane with sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) as an anion excluder and dibutylphthalate (DBP), dibutylbutylphosphonate (DBBP), tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) as plasticizing solvent mediator was prepared and investigated as a Ni(II)-selective electrode. The best performance was observed with the membrane having the ligand-PVC-TEHP-NaTPB composition 1:4:1:1, which worked well over a wide concentration range (2.82 ×10−6−1.00 × 10−1 M) with a Nernstian slope of 30.5 mV per decade of activity between pH 2.5–7.5. This electrode showed a fast response time of 18 s and was used over a period of 4 months with good reproducibility (S=0.4 mV). The selectivity coefficient over mono-, di- and trivalent cations indicate excellent selectivity for Ni (II) ions over a large number of cations. Anions such as Cl− and NO3− do not interfere and the electrode also works satisfactorily in a partially non-aqueous medium. It has been used successfully for determination of Ni (II) in real samples.