Subnanomolar determination of a beryllium ion by a novel Be(II) microsensor based on 4-nitrobenzo-9-crown-3-ether

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Abstract
In this work, for the first time, we introduce a highly selective and sensitive Be(II) microsensor. 4-nitrobenzo-9-crown-3-ether (NBCE) was used as a membrane-active component to prepare a Be(II)-selective polymeric membrane microelectrode. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response toward Be(II) ions over a very wide concentration range (1.0 × 10−4–1.0 × 10−10 M), with a detection limit of 3.5 × 10−11 M (∼350 pg/L). In fact, the electrode presents a fast response time in the whole concentration range (6 s). The proposed microelectrode can be used for at least six weeks without any considerable divergence in the potentials. The proposed membrane sensor revealed a selectivity toward Be(II) ions over a wide variety of other metal ions including common alkali, alkaline-earth, and rare-earth ions. It could be used in the pH range of 3.0–11.5. The microelectrode was successfully used as an indicator electrode for the titration of 20 mL of 1.0 × 10−6 M Be2+ solution with 1.0 × 10−4 M of EDTA. It was also applied to the direct determination of beryllium ions in beryl and binary mixtures.