The synthesis of styrene/4′-vinyl-benzo-24-crown-8 copolymer and its use in potassium-ion selective electrodes

A synthetic procedure has been developed for the preparation of styrene/4'-vinyl-benzo-24-crown-8 copolymer (SPV-B24C8). The resulting copolymer was used as a membrane carrier to construct a K(+) ion-selective electrode. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response for K(+) ions over a wide concentration range. The nature of the plasticizer, the additive, the concentration of internal solutions in the electrodes and the composition of the membrane were investigated. The performance of the electrode in terms of electrode reproducibility, response stability and regeneration was also studied: The selectivity coefficients of the electrode for potential interferents including alkali, alkaline earth, some transition and heavy metal ions were found to be in the order of 10(-3) or less. The electrode was successfully used for the determination of potassium ion in blood serum.