Construction and performance characterization of ion-selective electrodes for potentiometric determination of phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride applying batch and flow injection analysis techniques

New phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA.Cl)-selective electrodes of the conventional polymer membrane type, based on incorporation of phenylpropanolamine–tetraphenylborate (PPA–TPB) ion-pair or phenylpropanolamine–phosphotungstate (PPA–PT) ion-associate in a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane plasticized with dioctylphethalate (DOP) or dibutylphethalate (DBP), have been constructed. The electrodes were fully characterized in terms of the membrane composition, temperature, and pH. The electrodes were applied to the potentiometric determination of PPA.Cl in pure solutions and in pharmaceutical preparations under batch and flow injection conditions. The sensors showed fast, stable, and Nernstian slope over the concentration ranges 1.0×10^-5 to 8.91×10^-3 M and 10^-5 to 10^-2 M in the case of PPA–TPB applying batch and flow injection analysis (FIA), respectively, and 5.01×10^-6 to 1.25× 10^-3 M and 10^-5 to 10^-2 M in the case of PPA–PT for batch and FIA systems, respectively. The electrodes exhibited good selectivity for PPA.Cl with respect to a large number of inorganic cations, sugars, amino acids, and components other than phenylpropanolamine of the mixed drugs. The effect of temperature on the electrodes was also studied.