Synthesis and Characterization of a New Neutral Ionophore for Use in Bulk Optode

Chemical sensors based on optical signal detection are of increasing importance. Optical sensors of bulk optodes have the advantage of being robust and showing a highly reversible response explainable by means of the chemical equilibria involved. Therefore, a great number of new ion-selective bulk optodes have reported within a few years. Several sensors for detecting toxicologically revalant ions,such as Pb²⁺,Ag⁺,Hg²⁺ and UO₂²⁺ have been developed recently and exhibit the low detection limit required. Although a number of ionophores have been used in optodes and ISEs,the sensors described so far are inadequate for monitoring Ag⁺ in water, especially in drinking water because of their limited selectivity and/or insufficient sensitivity. More recently Pretsch et al designed and synthesized an improved optical sensor, methylene bis(2-thiobenzothiazole),which was Ag⁺-selective. Here we report synthesis of another ionophore,1,2-bis(2-thiobenzothiazole) ethane, and its IR, ESI-MS, ¹HNMR and UV-Vis.     

Use of sequential injection analysis to construct an electronic-tongue: application to multidetermination employing the transient response of a potentiometric sensor array

An electronic tongue based on the transient response of an array of non-specific-response potentiometric sensors was developed. A sequential injection analysis (SIA) system was used in order to automate its training and operation. The use of the transient recording entails the dynamic nature of the sensor's response, which can be of high information content, of primary ions and also of interfering ions; these may better discriminated if the kinetic resolution is added. This work presents the extraction of significant information contained in the transient response of a sensor array formed by five all-solid-state potentiometric sensors. The tool employed was the Fourier transform, from which a number of coefficients were fed into an artificial neural network (ANN) model, used to perform a quantitative multidetermination. The studied case was the analysis of mixtures of calcium, sodium and potassium. Obtained performance is compared with the more traditional automated electronic tongue using final steady-state potentials.     

Development of low-cost metal oxide pH electrodes based on the polymeric precursor method

In this work, the polymeric precursor method was used to prepare low-cost solid-state sensors for pH determination based on iridium oxide as the main pH sensitive material. The iridium content was reduced with addition of TiO₂, forming the binary system IrO_x–TiO₂, whose electroanalytical properties were evaluated in comparison with a commercial glass pH electrode. The minimum iridium content which gave suitable results was 30 mol%, and the electrode presented Nernstian and fast response in the pH range from 1 to 13, with no hysteresis effect observed. Besides, the electrode showed high selectivity in the presence of alkali ions as Li⁺, Na⁺ or K⁺. The amount of iridium in the prepared electrodes was very small (<0.1 mg), supporting the efficiency of this method on the simple preparation of functional low-cost pH electrodes.     

多肽基金属离子传感器

多肽基金属离子传感器作为一种基于多肽序列而设计的新型传感器,越来越受到研究者的关注.多肽作为一类重要的生物小分子,具有合成方法成熟、简便、成本低,且能够以多齿配位状态与金属离子结合等优点.多肽基传感器对金属离子具有高灵敏性和高选择性,且可以通过调节多肽序列进一步优化.与其他类型传感器相比,多肽基金属离子传感器具有良好的...     

Chemical speciation by sequential injection analysis: an overview

The simplicity of the sequential injection (SIA) manifold and its low need for maintenance makes it an ideal tool in speciation. As miniaturization and reduction of reagent consumption are also ultimate goals in chemical sensing, it is useful to review the use of combined injection and programmed flow as a central issue in designing SIA systems with chemical sensors and structurally simplified chemical analysers. This overview gives an insight into the current state, analytical scope and performance characteristics of sequential injection systems as analytical tools for speciation. The suitability of SIA for speciation analysis is illustrated by the methods used in the conduits of sequential injection systems for the chemical conversion of different chemical forms into detectable chemical species. Configurations of the basic sequential injection speciation analysis systems were designed around a multi-syringe-time-based-injection system with one detector, direct and indirect speciation of different forms using a single detector including diode array detection and direct speciation of different forms using multiple detection.

Examples showing the use of SIA for the simultaneous determination or speciation of metal ions, inorganic anions and organic compounds are given with some recent results from our research groups.     

A highly selective chemosensor for copper ion based on ICT fluorescence

Simple structural compounds 1 to 3 were synthesized.The presence of Cu²⁺ resulted in the fluorescence and absorption spectra change of 1 and 2,which indicated that 1 and 2 showed a highly selective response to Cu²⁺ over other metal ions.However,3 showed no selectivity for metal ions,which means that the compound could bind with several metal ions,such as,Ni²⁺,Zn²⁺,Cd²⁺.Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺,Fe³⁺,Mg²⁺,Ca²⁺,and Co²⁺,except Cu²⁺ and Ag⁺.The different spectral responses were attributed to the difference in binding sites for 1 and 3.     

Azomethine-H as a Highly Selective Fluorescent Probe for Fe3+ Detection in 100％ Aqueous Solution and Its Application in Living Cell Imaging

A simple assay for the detection of Fe³⁺ in water by means of fluorescence spectroscopy was developed based on a commercially available reagent, Azomethine-H(A-H), allowing sensing trace levels of Fe³⁺ with high selectivity over other cations. A significant fluorescence quenching of A-H at 424 nm was found after its binding with Fe³⁺ in 100% aqueous solution at pH=7.0, while other physiologically relevant metal ions posed little interference. The fluorescence responses can be well described by the modified Stern-Volmer equation. A good linear relationship(R²=0.9904) was observed up to 1.6×10^-5 mol/L Fe³⁺ ions. The detection limit, calculated via the 3σ IUPAC(international union of pure and applied chemistry) criteria, was 1.95×10^-7 mol/L. Moreover, the colorimetric and fluorescent response of A-H to Fe³⁺ can be conveniently detected by the naked eye, providing a facile method for visual detection of Fe³⁺. The proposed method was used to determine Fe³⁺ in water samples. Moreover, inverted fluorescence microscopy imaging using human umbilical vein endothelial cells shows that A-H can be used as an effective fluorescent probe for detecting Fe³⁺ in living cells.     

Tb3+ as Fluorescent Probe in the Study of the Interaction of Other Lanthanide Ions with Trichosanthin

The interaction of lanthanide (Ln³⁺)ions with trchosanthin(TCS)was investi-gated using Tb³⁺ as fluorescent probe.The metal-binding sites of the protein were probed by means of adding the Tb³⁺ into the protein solutions.If other Ln³⁺ ions exist in the Tb³⁺ protein complex system, they would compete against Tb³⁺ in the binding sites of the protein, and so the fluorescence intensity of Tb³⁺ decreased,which is called quenching effect.The quencliing effect is related to the ionic radii of the Ln³⁺ ions and energy transfer from Tb³⁺ protein to Ln³⁺ ions.Based on the ex-perimental results,a schematic of the energy transfer from protein-Tb³⁺ complex to protein-Ln³⁺ complex is suggested.     

Measuring quaternary ammonium cleaning agents with ion selective electrodes

Data for coated-wire, ion selective electrodes (ISEs) are presented for cationic surfactant ions found in common cleaners including benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium, benzyldimethyldodecylammonium, and benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium. The ion exchangers dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid, tetraphenyborate, and tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)borate are examined, showing dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid to be the favored species. The ISEs exhibit approximately Nernstian behavior down to the 10⁻⁶ M limit of detection with lifetimes in excess of 50 days when used continuously, and a shelf life of over 100 days. Reaching the upper detection limit at the critical micelle concentration requires use of polymeric-membrane reference electrodes including a new membrane cocktail, which allow response measurements of an order of magnitude higher than the traditional fritted-glass reference electrode. The surfactant ISEs show excellent selectivity over the common metal ions Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cu²⁺ with selectivity coefficients less than 10^−5.3. The ISEs are also selective over the lower molecular weight quaternary ammonium ions tetradecyltrimethylammonium, dodecyltrimethylammonium, benzyldimethyl(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium, and tetrabutylammonium with selectivity coefficients ranging from 10^−1.7 to 10^−5.5. Use of a single electrode to determine accurately the total cationic surfactant concentration in common cleaning solutions is accomplished with information about concentration dependent interferences and a modified Nikolsky–Eisenman model. Finally, quaternary ammonium surfactants have a deleterious effect on the measurements of pH and common ions like K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ with polymeric ISEs. This makes it critical to include surfactant electrodes in a detector array when cleaning agents are present.     

Novel PVC-based membrane sensors selective for vanadyl ions

Poly(vinyl chloride) based membranes of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) and dibutyl(butyl)phosphonate (DBBP) have been prepared and investigated as VO²⁺-selective sensors. The membranes containing DEHPA/DBBP and sodium tetraphenylborate, an anion excluder, show near-Nernstian/Nernstian response in the concentration range 10⁻⁵–10⁻¹ M. The sensors exhibit a fast response time and good selectivity for VO²⁺ over a number of other cations. Quantitative determination of vanadium in waste V₂O₅ catalyst has been achieved by these sensors and they have also been used as indicator electrodes for the determination of the end point in the potentiometric titration of VO²⁺ against EDTA.     

Synthesis and properties of three novel rhodamine-based fluorescent sensors for Hg2+

Three novel rhodamine-based Hg~(2+) fluorescent sensors were designed and synthesized. The sensors could work in semi-aqueous solutions with nearly neutral p H and showed high selectivity and sensitivity to Hg~(2+) with remarkable fluorescence enhancement. For these three sensors, the linear working range broadened(0–80, 0–100 and 0–140 μmol/L, respectively) and the sensitivity increased(7.7, 15.5 and 17.6 folds of the fluorescence enhancement and 512, 66.2 and 37.6 ppb of the detection limit) with the rising of the thiourea-unit numbers. Furthermore the sensors exhibited excellent interference immunity to multiple environmentally and biologically relevant metal ions. Pond and tap water assay showed good practicability of the sensors. The number of the bound Hg~(2+) equaling to that of the thiourea units and the irreversible recognition process implied a new interaction way between Hg~(2+) and the sensor.     

N,N-二甲基吡啶苯甲醛缩对二甲氨基苯甲酰腙的合成及对Cu2+的选择性识别

设计合成了可用于识别铜离子的化合物N,N-二甲基吡啶苯甲醛缩对二甲氨基苯甲酰腙(1), 通过¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR和MS等对其结构进行了表征; 采用荧光光谱和吸收光谱法研究了化合物1与金属离子间的相互作用. 结果表明, 化合物1对Cu²⁺ 呈现良好的选择性, Cu²⁺ 的加入使化合物1的荧光强度增强12.5倍, 加入其它金属离子如Fe³⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Li⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ 和 Ag⁺, 仅引起化合物1荧光强度的微降. 采用双倒数线性回归拟合法计算可知, 化合物1与Cu²⁺ 形成了1: 1型强发光配合物, 结合常数为2.0×10⁷ L/mol.     

Detection of metal ions using ion-channel sensor based on self-assembled monolayer of thioctic acid

Gold electrodes were chemically modified with thioctic acid monolayer designed to mimic biological ion-channel membranes. The technique was then used in the determination of alkali, alkaline earth, thallium(I), and lanthanum metal cations as analytes. Cyclic voltammograms (CV) of [Fe(CN)6]³⁻ an electroactive marker, were measured in the presence of the various types of analyte cations. In the absence of the analyte cation, electrostatic repulsion between the marker anions and the carboxylate groups of the receptor monolayer hindered the approach of the marker anion to the electrode surface and hence hindered its reduction. The modified electrodes responded well to the metal cations except the alkali metal cations. The sensors could detect the trivalent cation La³⁺ at concentrations as low as 10⁻⁸ M. The response of the sensor to the metal cations increase in the order alkali metal3+ can be discriminated in the ratio 1:100. This makes it possible to determine the trivalent ion in a sample matrix containing monovalent and divalent cations. Thallium(I) ion showed marked deviation in its response as compared to monovalent ions of the alkali metals. The ion-channel sensor based on self-assembled monolayer of thioctic acid therefore offers a potential alternative technique for the selective determination of metal ions.     

PVC membrane based potentiometric sensors for uranium determination

Two novel uranyl PVC matrix membrane sensors responsive to uranyl ion are described. The first sensor incorporates tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate (TEHP) as both electroactive material and plasticizer and sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as an ion discriminator. The sensor displays a rapid and linear response for UO₂²⁺ ions over the concentration range 1×10⁻¹–2×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ UO₂²⁺ with a cationic slope of 25.0±0.2 mV decade⁻¹. The working pH range is 2.8–3.6 and the life span is 4 weeks. The second sensor contains O-(1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-1-pyridyl)-N,N,N′,N′-bis(tetra-methylene)uronium hexafluorophosphate (TPTU) as a sensing material, sodium tetraphenylborate as an ion discriminator and dioctyl phenylphosphonate (DOPP) as a plasticizer. Linear and stable response for 1×10⁻¹–5×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ UO₂²⁺ with near-Nernstian slope of 27.5±0.2 mV decade⁻¹ are obtained. The working pH range is 2.5–3.5 and the life span of the sensor is 6 weeks. Interference from many inorganic cations is negligible for both sensors. However, interference caused by some ions (e.g. Th⁴⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺) is eliminated by a prior ion exchange or solvent extraction step. Direct potentiometric determination of as little as 5 μg ml⁻¹ uranium in aqueous solutions shows an average recovery of 97.2±1.3%. Application for the determination of uranium at levels of 0.01–1 wt.% in naturally occurring and certified ores gives results with good correlation with data obtained by X-ray fluorescence.     

Tuning plasmon absorption of unmodified silver nanoplates for sensitive and selective detection of copper ions by introduction of ascorbate

Silver nanoplates as novel optical sensors for Cu^2＋ detection have been demonstrated.Silver nanoplates are synthesized via previous H_2O_2-NaBH_4 cyclic oxidation-reduction reactions.With introduction of ascorbate as mild reductants,Cu^2＋ ions are reduced into Cu~＋ and the Cu^＋ is further reduced to Cu,which is deposited on the surface of the silver nanoplates.The deposition of the Cu on the surface of the silver nanoplates allows a significant red-shift of their plasmon absorption.Therefore,trace Cu^2＋ can be detected.The shift of the plasmon absorption wavelength of silver nanoplates is proportional to the Cu^2＋concentration over a range of 40-340 μmol L~（-1） with a limit of detection of 9.0 μmol L~（-1）.Moreover,such silver nanoplate-based optical sensors provide good selectivity for Cu^2＋ detection,and most other metal ions do not disturb its detection.Moreover,the practicality of the proposed sensor was tested.This Cu^2＋assay is advantageous in its simplicity,selectivity,and cost-effectiveness.     

Automated sequential injection fluorimetric determination and dissolution studies of Ergotamine Tartrate in pharmaceuticals

A fully automated flow system for drug-dissolution studies based on the sequential injection analysis (SIA) was described and used for monitoring dissolution profiles of Ergotamine Tartrate (ET) in pharmaceutical formulations. 50 μl of dissolution medium was taken for each measurement at a flow rate of 40 μl s⁻¹ and detected by fluorescence detector using λ_ex=236 nm (λ_em≥390 nm). The calibration curve was linear over the range 0.03–0.61 mg l⁻¹ of ET (sufficient for the dissolution tests). Equation of the calibration curve was calculated giving the following values: F=117.7 c+0.80 (n=6); r=0.9998. Detection limit was 0.01 mg l⁻¹ of ET. The R.S.D. is less than 0.54 and 0.86% (n=10) when determining 0.61 and 0.03 mg l⁻¹ of ET in standard solution, respectively. The dissolution test of Bellaspon tablets (0.3 mg of ET in 1 tablet) was programmed for 20 min, with a continuous sampling rate of 120 h⁻¹ under conditions required by BP 1993.     

A sequential injection electronic tongue employing the transient response from potentiometric sensors for anion multidetermination

Intelligent and automatic systems based on arrays of non-specific-response chemical sensors were recently developed in our laboratory. For multidetermination applications, the normal choice is an array of potentiometric sensors to generate the signal, and an artificial neural network (ANN) correctly trained to obtain the calibration model. As a great amount of information is required for the proper modelling, we proposed its automated generation by using the sequential injection analysis (SIA) technique. First signals used were steady-state: the equilibrium signal after a step-change in concentration. We have now adapted our procedures to record the transient response corresponding to a sample step. The novelty in this approach is therefore the use of the dynamic components of the signal in order to better discriminate or differentiate a sample. In the developed electronic tongue systems, detection is carried out by using a sensor array formed by five potentiometric sensors based on PVC membranes. For the developed application we employed two different chloride-selective sensors, two nitrate-selective sensors and one generic response sensor. As the amount of raw data (fivefold recordings corresponding to the five sensors) is excessive for an ANN, some feature extraction step prior to the modelling was needed. In order to attain substantial data reduction and noise filtering, the data obtained were fitted with orthonormal Legendre polynomials. In this case, a third-degree Legendre polynomial was shown to be sufficient to fit the data. The coefficients of these polynomials were the input information fed into the ANN used to model the concentrations of the determined species (Cl⁻, and ). Best results were obtained by using a backpropagation neural network trained with the Bayesian regularisation algorithm; the net had a single hidden layer containing three neurons with the tansig transfer function. The results obtained from the time-dependent response were compared with those obtained from steady-state conditions, showing the former superior performance. Finally, the method was applied for determining anions in synthetic samples and real water samples, where a satisfactory comparison was also achieved.      

11-Mercaptoundecanoic acid functionalized gold nanoclusters as fluorescent probes for the sensitive detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions

Metal ions are physiologically essential,but excessive metal ions may cause severe risk to plants and animals.Here,we prepared gold nanoclusters(Au NCs) protected by 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid(11-MUA),which have excellent fluorescence properties for the detection of metal ions.The results showed that the copper ions(Cu~(2+)) and iron ions(Fe~(3+)) in the solution have obvious quenching effect on the fluorescence intensity of Au NCs.The detection range of Fe~(3+) was 0.8–4.5 mmol/L(R~2= 0.992) and 4.5–11.0 mmol/L(R~2= 0.997).And Cu~(2+) has a lower linear range(0.1–1.0 mmol/L,R2= 0.993).When EDTA was added into the reaction system,it was observed that the quenching effect of Cu~(2+) and Fe~(3+)on Au NCs showed different phenomenon.Then,the effect of metal ions on the fluorescence of Au NCs was investigated.The selective detection of Cu~(2+) was achieved by EDTA masking of Fe~(3+).In addition,we realized the metal ions detection application of Au NCs in the serum     

18-冠-6修饰苝酰亚胺衍生物的合成及离子识别行为

合成了一种18-冠-6修饰的苝酰亚胺衍生物(1), 研究了其作为主体对金属离子与阴离子的选择性识别行为. 结果表明, 主体1对Ba²⁺离子具有一定的选择性响应, 并可以通过Ba²⁺调控主体1的堆积行为; 主体1还对F^-离子有选择性响应, F^-与苝酰亚胺单元之间发生了阴离子-π相互作用.     

喹啉取代的氟硼二吡咯染料类三价铁离子荧光探针的合成与性能

设计合成了喹啉取代的氟硼二吡咯荧光探针(BHQ),并用核磁共振波谱仪(NMR)和高分辨质谱仪(HRMS)等技术手段对合成的化合物进行了表征。 结果表明,在水溶液中,探针BHQ在Fe³⁺存在下具有良好的荧光增强识别效果,对 Fe³⁺ 具有响应快、较好的灵敏度和选择性特点,而其它金属离子的存在不干扰 Fe³⁺ 的检测。 探针BHQ与Fe³⁺以摩尔比1:1的方式进行配位。 该探针在Fe³⁺的检测方面具有潜在的应用价值。