Development of a Phthalocyanine-Based PVC Membrane Potentiometric Sensor for the Determination of Imipramine

Imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant. Overdose of imipramine may cause gastrointestinal upset, dizziness, blurred vision, increased appetite, drowsiness, constipation, dry mouth, urinary retention, narrow-angle glaucoma, and delirium. It can cause life-threatening side effects, particularly severe hypotension, coma, hyperactive reflexes, cardiac dysrhythmias, convulsions, and hypothermia confusion. Therefore, the development of a sensitive, reliable, low-cost, and simple method such as potentiometry for the determination of IMIP (imipramine) is of great importance. In this study, a phthalocyanine derivative, [2,10,16,24-tetrakis{9,9-bis(4-oxyphenylfluorene)phthalonitrile}phthalocyanine cobalt(II) (BS-Co-1)], was used as the ionophore in the structure of the imipramine-selective sensor developed. The sensor demonstrated high selectivity towards imipramine, wide linear working range (5.0×10-8 to 1.0×10-2 mol l-1), wide pH working range (2.18-7.38), short response time (20 seconds), and high repeatability. Furthermore, the analytical application of the sensor has been carried out in a commercial drug. The sensor performed well with a recovery of 98.4%.