Abstract
Potentiometric characteristics of DOS plasticized PVC-based membranes containing upper-rim calix[4]crown neutral carrier to various metal cations and protonated alkylamines have been examined. Although the calix[4]crown-based membrane electrodes exhibited substantial emf responses to alkali and alkaline earth metal cations, their high detection limits (- log[Cs+]=4.5) and sub-Nernstian response slopes (48 mV/pCs+) to the most selective cation, cesium, indicate that the metal cation complexing ability of calix[4]crown is much weaker than that of macrocyclic crown ethers. However, the calix[4]crown-based membrane electrodes exhibited near-Nernstian response slopes (56 mV/decade for hexylNH3+) with low detection limits (log[hexylNH3+]= - 6.7) to most alkylammonium ions compared to those of blank (DOS plasticized PVC membrane with no ionophore) or crown ether-based membranes. While the selectivity patterns of blank and crown ether-based membranes are determined primarily by the lipophilicity of alkylammonium ions, the membranes doped with calix[4]crown ionophore could effectively discriminate the steric shapes of nonpolar alkyl groups of alkylammonium ions.