Tetraazacyclohexadeca Macrocyclic Ligand as a Neutral Carrier in a Cr Ion-selective Electrode

A polystyrene-based membrane of 2,10-dimethyl-4,12-diphenyl-1,5,9,13-tetraazacyclohexadeca-1,4,9,12-tetraene macrocyclic ionophore was prepared and investigated as Cr(III)-selective electrode. The best performance was observed with the membrane having the polystyrene-ligand-dibutylphthalate-sodiumtetraphenyl borate composition 1:4:1:1 with a Nernstian slope of 19.0 mV per decade of concentration between pH 3.0 and 6.5. This electrode has been found to be chemically inert and of adequate stability with a response time of 20 s and was used over a period of 100 d with good reproducibility (S= 0.3 mV). The membrane works satisfactorily in a partially non-aqueous medium up to a maximum 30% (v/v) content of methanol and ethanol. The potentiometric selectivity coefficient values indicate that the membrane sensor is highly selective for Cr(III) ions over a number of monovalent, divalent and trivalent cations. The membrane electrode has also been successfully used to determine Cr(3+) in various food materials.