Potentiometric Titration of Trace Concentrations of Penicillamine Using Ion Selective Electrodes

Abstract

Penicillamine (PA) has shown promise as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and a sensitive analytical procedure applicable to physiological fluids is needed. PA is a metal chelating agent which forms very strong complexes with heavy metal ions (e.g., Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺). This characteristic has been applied to the analytical problem presented. The method developed is based on potentiometric titration of the ligand with a metal ion solution utilizing for endpoint detection an indicator electrode selective for this metal ion. The procedure described used lead (II) as the titrant and a lead (II) selective electrode. Demonstrated precision was ±2.0% when 7.5 μg PA was determined in 50 ml solution.

Key Words:

• Penicillamine
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Ion Selective Electrodes