Anion selectivities of poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) plasticized membranes cont
aining uranyl salophene derivatives were presented. The influence of the me
mbrane components (i.e. ionophore structure, dielectric constant and struct
ure of plasticizer, the amount of incorporated ammonium salt) on its phosph
ate selectivity was investigated. The highest selectivity for H2PO4- over o
ther anions tested was obtained for lipophilic uranyl salophene III (withou
t ortho-substituents) in PVC/o-nitrophenyl octylether (o-NPOE) membrane con
taining 20 mol% of tetradecylammonium bromide (TDAB). Ion-selective electro
des (ISEs) based on these membranes exhibited linear response in the range
1-4 of pH(2)PO(4)(-) with a slope of 59 mV/decade. The introduction of orth
o-methoxy substituents in ionophore structure decreased the phosphate selec
tivity of potentiometric sensors. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights
reserved.