Exploitation of o-benzoyl benzoic acid as an efficient electroactive material for selective determination of Cr (III) ions in pharmaceutical samples and industrial waste water using carbon sensor

Herein, for the first time, o-benzoyl benzoic acid has been explored as a promising electroactive material for the fabrication of sensitive, precise and accurate carbon paste electrode (CPE) for selective detection of Cr (III) ion. o-benzoyl benzoic acid (o-BBA) as a sensing material and tricresylphosphate (TCP) as a solvent mediator improved the developed sensor performance to get the Nernstian cationic slope of 20.03 +/- 0.11 mV decade(-1) within the concentration range of 5.0 x 10(-7)-1.0 x 10(-1) mol L-1. The sensor displayed a fast response time of 12 s reflecting a pH independency over the pH range of 3.1-4.7. Moreover, the reaction between the sensing material and Cr (III) ion on the developed sensor surface was elucidated using the microscopic technique such as scanning electron microscope (SEM) in addition to the energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). The proposed sensor showed an adequate shelf lifetime (similar to 33 days). The values of potentiometric selectivity coefficient were obtained by fixed interference and separate solution methods affirming a high distinguishing power of the fabricated sensor toward Cr (III) ions over the other interfering ions. The established sensor could be utilized with a promising success for the Cr (III) ion estimation in the industrial waste water and in the pharmaceutical forms. Additionally, it has been employed as a promising indicator sensor with a superior performance for potentiometric titration of Cr (III) ion against EDTA. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, o-benzoyl benzoic acid was explored for the first time as an electroactive material for the fabrication of a carbon paste electrode to selectively detect Cr (III) ions. The sensor showed improved performance with a Nernstian cationic slope, fast response time, and pH independency. The reaction between the sensing material and Cr (III) ions was elucidated using microscopic techniques, confirming the sensor's high selectivity and suitability for various applications.