Novel potentiometric sensors of molecular imprinted polymers for specific binding of chlormequat

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) were used as potentiometric sensors for the selective recognition and determination of chlormequat (CMQ). They were produced after radical polymerization of 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) or methacrylic acid (MAA) monomers in the presence of a cross-linker. CMQ was used as template. Similar non-imprinted (NI) polymers (NIP) were produced by removing the template from reaction media. The effect of kind and amount of MIP or NIP sensors on the potentiometric behavior was investigated. Main analytical features were evaluated in steady and flow modes of operation. The sensor MIP/4-VP exhibited the best performance, presenting fast near-Nernstian response for CMQ over the concentration range 6.2 x 10(-6) - 1.0 x 10(-2) mol L-1 with detection limits of 4.1 x 10(-6) mol L-1. The sensor was independent from the pH of test solutions in the range 5-10. Potentiometric selectivity coefficients of the proposed sensors were evaluated over several inorganic and organic cations. Results pointed out a good selectivity to CMQ. The sensor was applied to the potentiometric determination of CMQ in commercial phytopharmaceuticals and spiked water samples. Recoveries ranged 96 to 108.5%.