The influence of the plasticizer nature on the selectivity of ion-selective electrodes to physiologically active amine cations: Regularities and abnormalities

The influence of the nature of plasticizer in the membrane of an ion-selective electrode (ISE) on its selectivity to cations of more than 20 physiologically active amines (PAA) is studied. It is found that an increase in the basicity of the plasticizer leads to a sharp increase in the membrane selectivity to PAA cations with lower degrees of the substitution of the salt-forming nitrogen atom, and also to PAA cations with nonionic polar groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds with Lewis bases. PAA cations forming intermolecular hydrogen bonds are an exception. The effect of the nature of the ion exchanger on the selectivity to PAA cations is strongest when plasticizers with low basicity are used; the selectivity of membranes with plasticizers of high basicity does not depend on the nature of the ion exchanger. For ISEs based on the neutral carrier dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB-18-C-6), the best selectivity to primary amine cations in comparison to secondary and tertiary ones is achieved using plasticizers with low basicity.