Nitrate ion-selective electrode with improved selectivities for nitrate detection in drinking water

ANYL 205

Amanda S. Watts, ajsize2@uky.edu1, Vasilis G. Gavalas1, Mateo Alajarín2, and Leonidas G. Bachas, bachas@uky.edu1. (1) Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, 125 Chemistry Physics Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0055, (2) Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
Nitrate detection in drinking water is very important due to the effects of nitrate toxicity in humans and animals. Chloride is also a common component in drinking water and is often present in amounts large enough to cause significant error in the nitrate measurement. As a result, chloride must be removed by precipitation. Current commercially available nitrate ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), as well as those found in the literature, have a selectivity for nitrate against chloride of 0.0032 or worse, that lead to errors of 10% or higher in nitrate detection. We have developed an ISE for nitrate incorporating an ionophore containing thiourea functionalities that significantly reduces the error in nitrate analysis in the presence of chloride. The characteristics of this ionophore along with related (thio)urea derivatives will be presented.
 

General Session
7:00 PM-9:00 PM, Sunday, 26 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- Ex. Hall B4, Poster

Division of Analytical Chemistry

The 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 26-30, 2006