A variety of new chemical sensors (ion selective electrodes) for determination of rare-earth (RE) and trivalent metal cations such as yttrium(III), lanthanum(III), praseodymium(III), neodymium(III) and europium(III) that are commonly present in aqueous radiological samples, e.g. in high-level liquid waste (HLW) and solutions from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, have been developed and studied. The sensors are based on bidentate neutral organophosphorus compounds, such as methylene bridged diphosphine dioxides and carbamoylmethylphosphine oxides, which are efficient extractants, especially when used in conjunction with chlorinated cobalt dicarbollide, for recovery and concentration of the RE and actinide elements from acidic HLW derived from the nuclear fuel cycle. The sensors exhibit remarkable sensitivity to RE cations and indicate promise for HLW analysis.