Anion-exchange nanospheres as titration reagents for anionic analytes.

We present here anion-exchange nanospheres as novel titration reagents for anions. The nanospheres contain a lipophilic cation for which the counterion is initially Cl(-). Ion exchange takes place between Cl(-) in the nanospheres and a more lipophilic anion in the sample, such as ClO4(-) and NO3(-). Consecutive titration in the same sample solution for ClO4(-) and NO3(-) were demonstrated. As an application, the concentration of NO3(-) in spinach was successfully determined using this method.