New liquid-membrane electrodes for direct determination of atropine in pharmaceutical preparations

Supramolecular Atropine Potentiometric Sensor

A supramolecular atropine sensor was developed, using cucurbit[6]uril as the recognition element. The solid-contact electrode is based on a polymeric membrane incorporating cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) as an ionophore, 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether as a solvent mediator, and potassium tetrakis (4-chlorophenyl) borate as an additive. In a MES-NaOH buffer at pH 6, the performance of the atropine sensor is characterized by a slope of (58.7 ± 0.6) mV/dec with a practical detection limit of (6.30 ± 1.62) × 10⁻⁷ mol/L and a lower limit of the linear range of (1.52 ± 0.64) × 10⁻⁶ mol/L. Selectivity coefficients were determined for different ions and excipients. The obtained results were bolstered by the docking and spectroscopic studies which demonstrated the interaction between atropine and CB[6]. The accuracy of the potentiometric analysis of atropine content in certified reference material was evaluated by the t-Student test. The herein proposed sensor answers the need for reliable methods providing better management of this hospital drug shelf-life while reducing its flush and remediation costs.

Atropine-selective membrane electrodes and relative selectivity concept

TFPB was introduced as a charged ionophore for atropine selective electrodes. Typical Nernstian responses were found (57.78, 58.95 and 58.41 mV/decade) for PVC-membrane electrodes incorporating NPOE, DOS, and DDP as plasticizers. They exhibited practical linear ranges of 9.1 x 10(-3) - 10(-6), 9.1 x 10(-3) - 10(-6) and 9.1 x 10(-3) - 10(-7) M, respectively. It works in the sub-micro scale of atropine concentrations. The optimum pH-range was 3.18 - 8.97. The selectivity coefficient values were estimated for different organic and inorganic cations. They were interpreted by using the "Relative Selectivity Concept", which was introduced for the first time. The new concept was applied for comparing the selectivity properties of previously reported electrodes. The effect of the presence of ephedrine, caffeine, glucose, Na(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) on the calibration graphs of the electrodes was studied.

The use of ion-selective electrodes in the determination of drug substances

The use of ion-selective electrodes and potentiometric techniques in the analysis of drug substances are reviewed. Sensors for potentiometric measurements, potentiometric ion-pair and complex formation-based titrations, titrants, and applications are discussed. Other potentiometric methods used in the analysis of pharmaceuticals are discussed.