PVC membrane ion selective electrode for the determination of pentachlorophenol in water, wood and soil using tetrazolium pentachlorophenolate

A novel PVC membrane electrode selective for the determination of pentachlorophenolate (PCP) ion based on 2,3,5-triphenyl-2H-tetrazolium (TPT) pentachlorophenolate ion pair as an electroactive material is described. The electrode shows a linear response for PCP ion over the concentration range of 6×10−5 to 1×10−2 M with lower detection limit of 4×10−5 M at 25 °C. The electrode posses a Nernstian slope of −55.0±1.0 mV/decade and a fast potential response of 45 s, which is almost constant over a pH range of 5.5–10.5. Selectivity coefficient data for some common ions show negligible interference, however, 2,4,6-trichlorophenolate and cetylpyridinium ions interfere. An average recovery of 96.2% with relative standard deviation of 2.3% has been achieved for the determination of 75.0 ppm PCP in wastewater samples. The determination of PCP in soil and wood samples gave results that compare favorably with those obtained by gas chromatography. The electrode has been utilized as an end point indicator electrode for the determination of PCP using potentiometric titration.