A widely applicable electrode sensitive to basic drugs based on poly(vinyl chloride) membrane plasticized with tricresyl phosphate.

A plastic membrane ion-selective electrode applicable to many basic drugs has been developed. The electrode developed was constructed with tricresyl phosphate and a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix on a polytetrafluoroethylene film. The electrode showed a near-Nernstian response to chlorpromazine, trihexyphenidyl, imipramine, dibucaine, papaverine, propranolol, tetracaine, trazodone, quinidine and cinnarizine. The determination of 50 to 3000 micrograms/ml of trazodone hydrochloride in a pH 4.0 acetate buffer solution showed an average recovery of 99.4% (mean standard deviation 0.7%) by direct potentiometry. Inorganic cations and pharmaceutical excipients did not interfere with the determination. Trazodone hydrochloride and trihexyphenidyl hydrochloride in tablets were determined, and the results compared favorably with those obtained by conventional methods.