Highly selective potentiometric determination of nitrate ions using silver bisdiethyldithiocarbamate based membrane electrodes.

A new all-solid-state PVC membrane nitrate electrode was developed and nitrate ions were potentiometrically analyzed. Silver (I) bisdiethyldithiocarbamate ((C 2 H 5) 2 NCS 2) 2 Ag+) (Ag(dtc) 2) compound was used as electroactive positive charged carrier (ionophore) in the plasticized PVC membrane structure of the developed electrode. The developed nitrate selective polymeric membrane electrode (nitrate-ISE) exhibited linear potentiometric behavior in the concentration range of nitrate ions from 1.0 × 10−1 to 1.0 × 10−5 mol L−1 and the detection limit was determined as 6.71 × 10−6 mol L−1. Although nitrate-ISE has good reproducibility, the pH working range is determined to be 4 – 9. The proposed nitrate-ISE has been successfully applied for the determination of nitrate ions in different water samples and fruit juices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]