Selective transfer of Ag+ at the water|1,2-dichloroethane interface facilitated by complex formation with a calixarene derivative

The facilitated transfer of silver, Ag+, has been studied at the Interface between Two Immiscible Electrolyte Solutions (ITIES). The transfer was achieved with the assistance of a calixarene-based silver ionophore. An investigation of the mechanistic details of the transfer was conducted using cyclic voltammetry at both micro and macro liquid|liquid interfaces. The mechanism was found to follow a Transfer by Interfacial Complexation (TIC)/Transfer by Organic phase Complexation (TOC) mechanism. The complex stoichiometry was found to shift from 1:1 to 1:2, metal:ligand, with increasing ionophore concentration. The logarithms of the complex association constants, log β 1 o and log β 2 o , were estimated at 12.4 and 14.5, respectively. The charge transfer current was also found to be limited by diffusion of the transferring species and was unchanged by the presence of a range of interferents. The system thus shows promise for selective analytical applications.