Coated, Wire-Based, New Schiff Base Potentiometric Sensor for Lead(II) Ion

An ion-selective electrode for lead(II) based on a dispersion of N,N"-bis(3-methyl salicylidine)-p-phenyl methane diamine particles into a polymeric membrane using coated-wire configuration is described. Membranes based on polyvinyl chloride containing different amounts of plasticizer and ionophore are studied. The best performance in terms of slope (30.3 ± 0.6 mV per decade) and response time (<15 s) is displayed. The sensor shows a Nernstian response for Pb(II) ions over a wide concentration range of 2.0 × 10–5 to 0.10 M. The sensors can be used for more than three months without any considerable divergence in potentials. The selectivity is also good towards the most common univalent and divalent cations and the signal is constant in the pH range 1.6–6.0. An application to lead determination in mineral rocks and wastewater proved to be a success, and it was employed as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of CrO2–4 with lead ions.