Dynamic Potentiometry with an Ion-Selective Electrode: A Tool for Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Inorganic and Organic Cations

Abstract

A study of the transient potential signals obtained with a cation-selective electrode based on an ion-exchanger was carried out for solutions of the following individual cations at different concentrations: H+, Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Mg2+, Ca2+, choline (Ch+), acetylcholine (AcCh+), and procaine (Pr+). Three different general types of transient signals were distinguished depending on the value of the selectivity coefficient of the corresponding ion. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the signals, finding that the qualitative identification of the corresponding ion from the scores of two principal components is possible. The study was extended to the transient signals of solutions containing an analyte in the presence of an interfering ion. The PCA of the corresponding signal allows for the detection of the presence of interfering ions, thus avoiding biased results in the determination of the analyte. Moreover, the two principal components of the transient signals obtained for each of the ions at different concentrations allow for the construction of calibration graphs for the quantitative determination of the corresponding ion. All the transient signals obtained experimentally in this work can be reconstructed accurately from principal components and their corresponding scores.