Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly https://doi.org/10.1007/s00706-019-02483-7 ORIGINAL PAPER A new thin flm modifed glassy carbon electrode based on melaminium chloride pentachlorocuprate(II) for selective determination of nitrate in water Hala Araar 1  · Messaoud Benounis 1  · Amani Direm 2  · Amina Touati 1  · Sara Atailia 1  · Houcine Barhoumi 3  · Nicole Jafrezic‑Renault 4 Received: 14 May 2019 / Accepted: 9 July 2019 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract A new electrochemical thin flm glassy carbon sensor for nitrate detection based on a copper complex, namely melaminium chloride pentachlorocuprate (H 2 mela)ClCuCl 5 (mela = melamine), as a novel ionophore in plasticized polyvinyl chloride matrix was elaborated. The title complex was synthesized and characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray difraction. To improve the sensitivity, the optimal pH value was evaluated and the efect of plasticizer was performed using three diferent plasticizing solvent mediators: dioctyl sebacate, dibutyl phthalate, and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether. The optimum performance was observed at pH 4 with the membrane incorporating dioctyl sebacate as a plasticizer. Cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry were used to characterize the (H 2 mela)[CuCl 5 ]Cl-GC sensor with a potential between 0.3 and 1 V. This sensor was characterized by a wide linear range from 1.2 × 10 −10 M to 1.2 × 10 −7 M, a low limit of detection of 1.2 × 10 −10 M and low response time less than 1 min. This proposed sensor gave good results in the determina- tion of nitrate in water and, therefore, can be used successfully in real samples. Graphic abstract Keywords Electrochemical sensor · Glassy carbon electrode · Melaminium chloride pentachlorocuprate(II) ionophore · Nitrate · Cyclic voltammetry · Square wave voltammetry * Messaoud Benounis benounis@yahoo.fr * Amani Direm amani_direm@yahoo.fr 1 Laboratory of Sensors, Instrumentations and Process (LCIP), Institute of Science and Technology, University of Khenchela, El Hamma, Algeria 2 Laboratory of Structure, Properties and Intermolecular Interactions LASPI2A, Department of Matter Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Abbes Laghrour University, 40000 Khenchela, Algeria 3 Laboratory of Physics and Chemistry of Interfaces, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia 4 Institute of Analytical Sciences of the University Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, France