Mercuric ions in water samples were determined by a new modified carbon paste electrode based on N,N'-bis(salicylaldehyde)-phenylenediamine (salophen) as a chemical modifier. The construction, performance, and applications of mercury carbon paste electrode are described. The electrode displays a linear log[Hg2+] versus EMF response over a wide concentration range of 3.2 x 10(-7) to 3.2 x 10(-4) with Nernstian slope of 58.8 +/- 0.3 mV/decade with limit of detection 1.5 x 10(-7) over the pH range 3.8-7.8; the presence of the complex Hg(OH)(+) ion explains the slope of the response curve. The proposed sensor shows a reasonable discrimination ability towards Hg(II) in comparison to some alkali, alkaline earth transition and heavy metal ions. The modified electrode was applied as indicator electrode in potentiometric titration and successfully used to determine mercury(II) in water samples with satisfactory results. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.