Construction of a new Hg(2+)-selective liquid-state electrode

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Mercury(II) ion (Hg(2+)) detection is crucial in environmental and pharmaceutical analysis.
• Development of selective and sensitive electrodes is essential for accurate Hg(2+) quantification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and characterize a novel liquid-state membrane electrode selective for Hg(2+).
• To evaluate the electrode's performance for analytical applications, including titrations.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a membrane electrode using a Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) chelate of Hg(II) dissolved in chloroform (CHCl(3)).
• Electrochemical characterization of the electrode, including response range, slope, and response time.
• Application of the electrode in precipitation and complexation titrations involving Hg(2+).

Main Results:

• The electrode exhibited a linear response range for Hg(2+) from 10(-1) to 10(-5) M.
• A consistent slope of 28.5 mV/decade of concentration was observed.
• Rapid response times were achieved: less than 3 minutes in dilute solutions and a few seconds in concentrated solutions.

Conclusions:

• The developed Hg(2+)-selective membrane electrode demonstrates excellent performance characteristics.
• The electrode is suitable for quantitative analysis of Hg(2+) in complex matrices, particularly in titrations relevant to drug synthesis.