Potentiometric studies of N,N′-Bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-N,N′-dimethyl-9,10 anthracenedimethanamine as a chemical sensing material for Zn(II) ions

A liquid membrane based Zn2+ ion selective electrode containing N,N′-Bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-N,N′-dimethyl-9,10 anthracenedimethanamine (Bis(TMEDA) anthracene) (I) as ionophore has been prepared and characterized. The membrane comprises of PVC, ionophore and plasticizer in the ratio of 33:2:65, respectively. It showed the best response in terms of detection limit (1.5 × 10− 6 M) and working concentration range (1.0 × 10− 5 M to 1.0 × 10− 1 M) with Nernstian response towards Zn2+ ions. The electrode responds within 15 s of coming in contact with the solution. The potential response remains almost unchanged over a pH range of 3.0 to 7.5. The electrode can be used for at least 3 months without any considerable alteration in its response behavior. The proposed electrode revealed good selectivity towards Zn2+ ions over a number of alkali, alkaline earth, transition metals and some other heavy metal ions. The electrode has been used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Zn2+ with EDTA. The proposed electrode also detected Zn2+ ions from real life samples.