Ion-selective electrode for measuring low Ca2+ concentrations in the presence of high K+, Na+ and Mg2+ background.

In this work, ion-selective electrodes for calcium ion were investigated. Two ionophores were used in the membranes: ETH 1001 and ETH 129. An internal filling solution buffered for primary ion was used that allowed the lower detection limit to be decreased down to 10(-8.8) M. Theoretical and experimental electrode characteristics pertaining to both primary and interfering ions are discussed. Better behavior was obtained with the electrode prepared with ETH 129 in the membrane. This electrode would be the most likely candidate for obtaining a low Ca(2+) detection limit in measurements performed with high K(+), Na(+), Mg(2+) background, which is found inside the cells of living organisms, for example. The potentiometric response of the electrode in solutions containing main and interfering ions is in good agreement with simulated curves obtained using the Nernst-Planck-Poisson (NPP) model.