Fabrication of a highly selective cadmium (II) sensor based on 1,13-bis(8-quinolyl)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxatridecane as a supramolecular ionophore.

A new cadmium (II) ion selective sensor based on 1,13-bis(8-quinolyl)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxatridecane (kryptofix5) as a supramolecular carrier has been developed. The membrane solutions containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC), plasticizer, sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as a lipophilic ionic additive and kryptofix5 as an ionophore were directly coated on the surface of graphite rods. The best composition of the coated membrane (w/w%) was found to be: 30.0% PVC, 61.0% dioctyl sebacate (DOS), 6.0% NaTPB and 3.0% kryptofix5. The sensor indicates a good linear response for Cd(2+) cation over a wide concentration range from 1.0×10(-5) to 1.0×10(-1) M with a Nernstian slope of 29.8±0.1 mV/decade and the detection limit is 8.4×10(-6) M. The response time of the sensor is 15s and it can be used for 7 weeks without significant drift in potential. The sensor operates in the wide pH range of 1.0-6.0. This sensor reveals a very good selectivity toward Cd(2+) ion over a wide range of alkali, transition and heavy metal cations. The sensor was used as an indicator electrode for potentiometric titration of Cd(2+) using sodium fluoride and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solutions with a sharp potential change that occurred at the end point. In addition, the proposed sensor was successfully used for determination of Cd(2+) cation in real water samples.