Polyvinyl chloride matrix membrane electrodes for manual and flow injection analysis of chloroquine in pharmaceutical preparations.

Two types of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix membrane electrodes responsive to the antimalarial drug chloroquine have been constructed, electrochemically evaluated, compared and used in pharmaceutical analysis. Type 1 is the classic PVC model with chloroquine-tetraphenylborate (TPB) sensor; Type 2 is a coated silver disk without internal filling solution. Both electrode types exhibited rapid linear potentiometric response to the logarithmic concentration of diprotonated chloroquine cation in the 10(-1) - 10(-6)M range with calibration slopes 28-30 mV/concentration decade over the pH range 1.8-6.2. These electrodes were sensitive enough to permit determination of chloroquine phosphate at concentrations as low as 5 microgram/mL with good accuracy and precision. Determination of chloroquine in various pharmaceutical preparations using direct potentiometry and potentiometric titration with NaTPB gave an average recovery of 98.8% of the nominal values (SD 0.5%). The Type 2 electrode was also assessed in a flow-through sandwich cell for flow injection analysis. Results were compared with data obtained by the U.S. Pharmacopeia method.