Highly Sensitive and Selective Fluorescence Probe for 2,4‐Dinitrophenylhydrazine Detection in Wastewater Using Water‐Soluble CdTe QDs

A simple, cheap, sensitive and selective probe for determination of DNPH in wastewater using thioglycolic acid (TGA)‐coated CdTe QDs (TGA‐QDs) as fluorescence probe has been established, and the properties of CdTe QDs were characterized by TEM, FT‐IR, DLS, XRD and zeta potentials. CdTe QDs fluorescence is highly efficiently quenched after adding DNPH on account of electron transfer effect, and the fluorescence quenching behavior of CdTe QDs interaction with DNPH is static quenching process. A good linear relationship is observed between the relative fluorescence intensity (F₀/F) and 0.06–10 ng mL^?1 of DNPH. As compared with some of reported methods, LOD of this method for analysis of DNPH (0.23 ng mL^?1) is the lowest. Masking agents of DDTC and NH₄OH can eliminate the interference of Cu²⁺, Ag⁺ and Hg²⁺. Hence, DNPH can be selectively and accurately detected and the established method was successfully used for detecting DNPH in wastewater with acceptable recovery of 90.6–102%.     

Selective Detection of Mercury（Ⅱ） and Copper（Ⅱ） Based on the Opposite Size-dependent Fluorescence Quenching of CdTe Quantum Dots

Three different size CdTe quantum dots （QDs） capped by 3-mercaptopropionic acid （MPA） have been prepared in aqueous solutions, and their interactions with Cu^2＋ and Hg^2＋ have been investigated. The opposite size-dependent fluorescence quenching of CdTe QDs by Hg^2＋ and Cu^2＋ was observed： Hg^2＋ quenched smaller particles more efficiently than larger ones while larger particles were more markedly quenched by Cu^2＋. Based on the different size responses, Hg^2＋ and Cu^2＋ were respectively detected with high sensitivity and selectivity, for the first time, using the QDs with different sizes but the same components and capping ligands.     

Probing the mechanism of the interaction between l‐cysteine‐capped‐CdTe quantum dots and Hg2+ using capillary electrophoresis with ensemble techniques

A good understanding of the mechanism of interaction between quantum dots (QDs) and heavy metal ions is essential for the design of more effective sensor systems. In this work, CE was introduced to explore how l ‐cysteine‐capped‐CdTe QDs (l ‐cys‐CdTe QDs) interacts with Hg²⁺. The change in electrophoretic mobility can synchronously reflect the change in the composition and property of QDs. The effects of the free and capping ligands on the system are discussed in detail. ESI‐MS, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and fluorescence (FL) were also applied as cooperative tools to study the interaction mechanism. Furthermore, the interaction mechanism, which principally depended on the concentration of Hg²⁺, was proposed reasonably. At the low concentration of Hg²⁺, the formation of a static complex between Hg²⁺ and the carboxyl and amino groups of l ‐cys‐CdTe QDs surface was responsible for the FL quenching. With the increase of Hg²⁺ concentration, the capping l ‐cys was stripped from the surface of l ‐cys‐CdTe QDs due to the high affinity of Hg²⁺ to the thiol group of l ‐cys. Our study demonstrates that CE can reveal the mechanism of the interaction between QDs and heavy metal ions, such as FL quenching.     

Cadmium sulfide quantum dots modified by chitosan as fluorescence probe for copper (II) ion determination

CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been prepared and modified with chitosan. Based on the quenching of fluorescence signals of the functionalized CdS QDs at 531 nm wavelength and enhancement of signals the 400–700 nm wavelength range by Cu²⁺ at pH 4.2, a simple, rapid and specific method for Cu²⁺ determination is presented. Under optimum conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity of CdS QDs is linearly proportional to copper concentration from 8.0 nmol L^?1 to 3.0 μmol L^?1 with a detection limit of 1.2 nmol L^?1. The mechanism can be explained in terms of strong binding of Cu²⁺ onto the surface of CdS, resulting in a chemical displacement of Cd²⁺ ions and the formation of CuS on the surface of the QDs.     

A New Fluorescent Chemosensor for Metal Ions Based upon 1,8‐Naphthalimide and 8‐Hydroxyquinoline

A new fluorescent chemosensor based upon 1,8‐naphthalimide and 8‐hydroxyquinoline was synthesized, and its fluorescent properties in the presence of different metal cations (Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ba²⁺) were investigated. It displayed fluorescence quenching with some heavy and transition metal (HTM) ions, and the quenching strongly depended on the nature of HTM ions.     

Synchronous determination of mercury (II) and copper (II) based on quantum dots-multilayer film

A sensitive sensor for mercury (II) and copper (II) synchronous detection was established via the changed photoluminescence of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) multilayer films in this work. QDs were deposited on the quartz slides to form QDs-multilayer films by electrostatic interactions with poly(dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA). Hg²⁺ or Cu²⁺ could quench the photoluminescence of the QDs-multilayer films, and glutathione (GSH) was used to remove Hg²⁺ or Cu²⁺ from QDs-multilayer films due to strong affinity of GSH-metal ions, which resulted in the recovered photoluminescence of QDs-multilayer films. There are good linear relationships between the metal ions concentration and the photoluminescence intensity of QDs in the quenched and recovered process. It was found that the Stern–Volmer constants for Hg²⁺ are higher than that for Cu²⁺. Based on different quenching and recovery constant between Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺, the synchronous detection of Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ can be achieved. The linear ranges of this assay were obtained from 0.005 to 0.5 μM for Hg²⁺ and from 0.01 to 1 μM for Cu²⁺, respectively. And the artificial water samples were determined by this method with satisfactory results, the recoveries for Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions were found in the range of 90.4–106.4%. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report about the synchronous detection of Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ by using quenched and recovered photoluminescence of quantum dots multilayer films.     

Quenching effect of some heavy metal ions on the fast peroxyoxalate-chemiluminescence of 1-(dansylamidopropyl)-1-aza-4,7,10-trithiacyclododecane as a novel fluorophore

The fast chemiluminescence (CL) arising from the reaction of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO) with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of 1-(dansylamidopropyl)-1-aza-4,7,10-trithiacyclododecane (L) as a novel fluorophore, and imidazole as catalyst, has been studied in ethyl acetate solution. The relationships between the chemiluminescence intensity and concentrations of TCPO, imidazole, hydrogen peroxide and L are reported. In the presence of imidazole as catalyst, the entire CL signal was completed in less than 3 s. The quenching effect of Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ ions on the chemiluminescent system was investigated, the resulting Stern–Volmer plots were obtained and the K_Q values were calculated. It was found that the quenching effect of metal ions on the chemiluminescence of L decreases in the order Cu²⁺ > Pb²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Hg²⁺ > Ag⁺.     

A Highly Selective Colorimetric Sensor for Cu2+ Based on Phenolic Group Biscarbonyl Hydrazone

A novel copper selective sensor 2 based on hydrazide and salicylaldehyde has been designed and prepared. Sensor 2 behaves a single selectivity and sensitivity in the recognition for Cu²⁺ over other metal ions such as Fe³⁺, Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Cr³⁺ and Mg²⁺ in DMSO. The distinct color change and the rapid changement of fluorescence emission provide naked‐eyes detection for Cu²⁺. The UV‐vis data indicate that 1:2 stoichiometry complex is formed by sensor 2 and Cu²⁺. The association constant K_s was 3.51×10⁴ mol^?1·L. The detection limitation of Cu²⁺ with the sensor 2 was 2.2×10^?7 mol·L^?1. The sensing of Cu²⁺ by this sensor was found to be reversible, with the Cu²⁺‐induced color being lost upon addition of EDTA.     

Selective and Sensitive Two New Macroacyclic Schiff base Fluorescent Turn-Off Receptors for Fe3+, DFT Calculation and Their Antibacterial Activity

Two new Macroacyclic Schiff base chemosensors (L₁ and L₂) were synthesized by the one pot condensation reaction of 2-[3-(2-formyl phenoxy)propoxy]benzaldehyde and aminophenol in a 1:2 molar ratio and were characterized by IR, NMR spectroscopy. Both Schiff bases displayed high selectivity and sensitivity towards Fe³⁺ over other metal ions in H₂O-DMF solution (Ag⁺,Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mg⁺², Mn⁺², Pb⁺², Co⁺², Hg⁺², Cr⁺³, Na⁺, Ba⁺² and Cd²⁺) due to their structure including oxygen donor atoms. The test results showed fluorescence quenching of the fluorophores when Fe³⁺ was bound to the recognition units. From test results, a high selectivity for Fe³⁺ were discovered in this type of sensors, especially, the probe based on 2-aminophenol exhibited more significant quenching in fluorescence intensity compared with 4-aminophenol-based due to its rigidity structure. In addition, the structure of ligands and their antibacterial properties was investigated.     

Chemiluminescence of CdTe quantum dots using K3Fe(CN)6 as oxidant and its capping ligand-dependent effect

Water-soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs) capped with three different thioalkyl acids (mercaptoacetic acid, cysteine and glutathione) were synthesized in aqueous solution. In basic media, K₃Fe(CN)₆ could directly oxidize the water-soluble CdTe QDs to produce strong CL emission. It was found that the CL intensity depended on the capping ligand and size of CdTe QDs. CL spectra and fluorescence spectra of the system were measured to investigate the CL reaction mechanism. Moreover, the effects of 17 metal ions on the CL system were carefully investigated. Ca²⁺, Co²⁺, Mn²⁺, Hg²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cr³⁺ and Fe³⁺ could markedly inhibit the CL signal of the K₃Fe(CN)₆–CdTe QDs system, which makes it applicable for the detection of such ions. This work is of importance for gaining a better understanding of the unique optical and physical chemistry properties of QDs, and it is also helpful to find more practical applications of QDs.     

Multi-spectroscopic Study on the Interaction between CdTe Quantum Dots and Bovine Serum Albumin

The interaction between CdTe quantum dots (QDs) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was systematically investigated by fluorescence, UV‐vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy under physiological conditions. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence of BSA could be quenched by CdTe QDs with a static quenching mechanism, indicating that CdTe QDs could react with BSA. The quenching constants according to the modified Stern‐Volmer equation were obtained as 1.710×10⁶, 1.291×10⁶ and 1.010×10⁶ L·mol^?1 at 298, 304, and 310 K, respectively. ΔH, ΔS and ΔG for CdTe QDs‐BSA system were calculated to be ?33.68 kJ·mol^?1, 6.254 J·mol^?1·K^?1 and ?35.54 kJ·mol^?1 (298 K), respectively, showing that electrostatic interaction in the system played a major role. According to F?rster theory, the distance between Trp‐214 in BSA and CdTe QDs was given as 2.18 nm. The UV‐vis, synchronous fluorescence and CD spectra confirmed further that the conformations of BSA after addition of CdTe QDs have been changed.     

Sensitive and selective determination of Cu2+ by electrochemiluminescence of CdTe quantum dots

For the first time, we report a sensitive and selective method to detect Cu²⁺ based on the electrochemiluminescence quenching of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution. The mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) protected CdTe QDs were prepared and characterized with UV, fluorescence and ECL. The anodic ECL quenching mechanism was attributed to the fact that MSA capping was removed from the surface of the CdTe QDs and preferentially bound with Cu²⁺. The displacement of MSA capping layer created imperfections on the CdTe QDs surface, and eventually led to the ECL quenching. The quenching effect of Cu²⁺ on the anodic ECL of CdTe QDs was found to be selective and concentration dependent, so we applied it to develop a method for the sensitive and selective detection of Cu²⁺. With the proposed method, the concentration of Cu²⁺ could be detected in the range of sub-nanomolar to micromolar levels.     

Modified Capillary Electrophoresis for Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Hg2+ in Natural Water

A novel capillary with high sensitivity and selectivity for mercury ion detection based on modified nanosize silica has been designed and synthesized. The obtained modified capillary was applied to separate and determine mercury ion by capillary electrophoresis with a laser‐induced fluorescence detector. The optimal experimental conditions were determined by evaluating various controlling factors: running buffer hexamine‐HCl 15 mmol L^?1, pH=5.2, separation voltage 30 kV and temperature 25 °C. The modified capillary exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity for Hg2+ over other coexisting metal ions (K⁺, Ag⁺, Ca2⁺, Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Zn²⁺ increased to 10000 times of Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺ increased to 5000 times) in aqueous solution, and was successfully applied to the determination of Hg²⁺ in natural water samples and displayed satisfactory results.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel indole-containing half-crowns as new emissive metal probes

Two new indole derivatives have been synthesized by a one-pot procedure and their potential as fluorescence probes for metal ions was investigated. The sensor capability of 1 and 2 toward cations such as Ag⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁻ was studied in dichloromethane solution by absorption, fluorescence emission, and ¹H NMR titrations. Both probes showed selectivity for Ag⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions. The results suggest that these compounds may serve as promising models for future design of novel and more potent sensors.     

Dulplex analysis of mercury and silver ions using a label-free fluorescent aptasensor

Label-free Hg²⁺ aptamer was used as a sensing element and the PicoGreen dye was specific to ultra-sensitive double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which achieved novel fluorescence assay for detection of both mercury and silver ions. In this aptasensor, Hg²⁺ bound to thymidine (T) to form T–Hg^2+-T base pairs and Ag⁺ specifically interacted with C–C mismatches to produce C–Ag⁺–C base pairs. The conformation changes prevented the aptamer from binding to its complementary sequences to form dsDNA and caused a fluorescence intensity decrease with PicoGreen. The change in the fluorescence intensity made it possible to detect both Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in a dose-dependent manner. The sensing system could detect as low as 5 × 10^–8 mol/L of Hg²⁺ and 9.3 × 10^–10 mol/L of Ag⁺. The fluorescent intensity changes in the system were specific for Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺, making this simple and cost-effective method extremely valuable in its future applications in monitoring Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ pollution in environmental analysis.     

Ultrasensitive detection of mercury(II) ion using CdTe quantum dots in sol-gel-derived silica spheres coated with calix[6]arene as fluorescent probes

We have developed a simple method for the preparation of highly fluorescent and stable, water-soluble CdTe quantum dots in sol-gel-derived composite silica spheres that were coated with calix[6]arene. The resulting nanoparticles (NP) were characterized in terms of UV, fluorescence and FT-IR spectroscopy and by TEM. The results show that the new NPs display more intense fluorescence intensity and are more stable than its precursors of the type SiO₂/CdTe. In addition, the new NPs exhibit a higher selectivity for the determination of Hg²⁺ than for other metal ions. Under the optimum conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity decreases with the concentration of Hg²⁺ in the range from 2.0 to 14.0?nmol?L^?1 and the detection limit is 1.55?nmol?L^?1. The method is based on the quenching of fluorescence by Hg²⁺ and expected to serve as a practical fluorescence test for rapid detection of Hg²⁺. A mechanism is suggested to explain the inclusion process by a Langmuir binding isotherm, and fluorescence quenching is best described by the Stern-Volmer equation.

Naked-eye colorimetric analysis of Hg2+ with bi-color CdTe quantum dots multilayer films

A novel direct quantificational method through naked-eye colorimetric analysis of Hg²⁺ was constructed based on different degree of the fluorescence quenching of bi-color quantum dots (QDs) multilayer films (2-QDMF). The functional multilayer films were assembled by layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of oppositely charged CdTe QDs and poly(dimethyldiallylemmonium chloride) (PDDA). Then the outermost layer of 2-QDMF was cross-linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA), polyethylene glycol (PEG) or glutathione (GSH). It was found that when BSA modified quartz slides were immersed into solutions containing Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ respectively, the 2-QDMF can be quenched by Hg²⁺, but not by Cu²⁺. Under the optimization conditions, the quenched photoluminescence (PL) intensities of multilayer films were almost linearly proportional to the concentration of Hg²⁺ in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and the detection limit was 4.5 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The proposed method is intuitional and convenient, which can be applied to the determination of trace Hg²⁺ in the artificial water sample with satisfactory results.     

Mo3S132− Intercalated Layered Double Hydroxide: Highly Selective Removal of Heavy Metals and Simultaneous Reduction of Ag+ Ions to Metallic Ag0 Ribbons

We demonstrate a new material by intercalating Mo₃S₁₃^2? into Mg/Al layered double hydroxide (abbr. Mo₃S₁₃-LDH), exhibiting excellent capture capability for toxic Hg²⁺ and noble metal silver (Ag). The as-prepared Mo₃S₁₃-LDH displays ultra-high selectivity of Ag⁺, Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ in the presence of various competitive ions, with the order of Ag⁺>Hg²⁺>Cu²⁺>Pb²⁺≥Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺. For Ag⁺ and Hg²⁺, extremely fast adsorption rates (≈90 % within 10 min, >99 % in 1 h) are observed. Much high selectivity is present for Ag⁺ and Cu²⁺, especially for trace amounts of Ag⁺ (≈1 ppm), achieving a large separation factor (SF_Ag/Cu) of ≈8000 at the large Cu/Ag ratio of 520. The overwhelming adsorption capacities for Ag⁺ (q_m^Ag=1073 mg g^?1) and Hg²⁺ (q_m^Hg=594 mg g^?1) place the Mo₃S₁₃-LDH at the top of performing sorbent materials. Most importantly, Mo₃S₁₃-LDH captures Ag⁺ via two paths: a) formation of Ag₂S due to Ag-S complexation and precipitation, and b) reduction of Ag⁺ to metallic silver (Ag⁰). The Mo₃S₁₃-LDH is a promising material to extract low-grade silver from copper-rich minerals and trap highly toxic Hg²⁺ from polluted water.     

Quantitative Trennung von Schwermetallen mit Chelataustauschern auf der Basis von Polystyrol

Zusammenfassung Die Trennung und Isolierung von folgenden Schwermetallen bei einem hohen Überschuß an Fremdionen mit Hilfe neuer selektiver Chelataustauscher wird beschrieben: Cu²⁺/Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺/Pb²⁺, Ag⁺/Cu²⁺, Ag⁺/Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺/Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺/Cd²⁺; Abtrennung von Hg²⁺. Unter gleichen Bedingungen war mit dem handelsüblichen Austauscher Dowex A-1 keine Trennung möglich.

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Quantitative separation of heavy metals by means of chelating exchangers based on polystyrol

Summary The separation and isolation of the following heavy metals in presence of a high excess of foreign ions by means of new selective chelating exchangers is described: Cu²⁺/Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺/Pb²⁺, Ag⁺/Cu²⁺, Ag⁺/Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺/Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺/Cd²⁺; separation of Hg²⁺. Under the same conditions no separation could be achieved by the ion-exchanger Dowex A-1.