Use of unmodified silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as colorimetric Hg(II) sensor: A new approach to sensitive and high sample throughput determination of Hg(II) under high influence of ionic suppression

Facile unmodified silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as colorimetric sensor for determination of Hg(II) ions in aqueous samples were developed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Abrupt change in absorbance of the AgNPs was observed, which progressively decreased and slightly shifted to the blue wavelength as the concentration of Hg(II) increased. It appears that the AgNPs were oxidized by Hg(II), resulting in disintegration of the AgNPs and Hg(0). Deposition of Hg(0) on the surface of AgNPs also occurred, resulting in amalgam particles of mercury (Hg-Ag). Interestingly, the developed approach showed a significant enhancement in the Hg(II) analytical sensitivity when formic acid was doped onto the AgNPs, with the linearity range of 0.01–10 mg L^?1 (r² = 0.999) providing the quantitative detection limit of 0.007 mg L^?1 (3SD blank/slope of the calibration curve). Greater selectivity toward Hg(II) over other ions and colour dyes was also observed, likely a result of stabilization by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which kept the AgNPs well-stabilized and dispersed in the bulk aqueous environment making them resistant to ionic suppression. Under using a 96-well microplate and a smartphone equipped with homemade application as a colorimetric analyzer under controlled lighting, high sample throughput (128 sample h^?1, n = 4) was achieved, establishing its potential for practical analysis. The percentage recoveries of spiked aqueous samples obtained from the microplate-based system were in acceptable range, in agreement with the values obtained from the UV-Vis spectrophotometry-based system. The proposed colorimetric sensor has been shown to provide a rapid, simple, sensitive and selective detection of Hg(II) ions in various aqueous samples.     

Equilibrium and Kinetic Aspects of Hg(II) Extraction from Natural Waters with Diphenylthiocarbazone

A diphenylthiocarbazone (dithizone) based liquid-liquid extraction method of general utility is proposed for small-scale Hg(II) extraction from natural waters. The quantitative aspects related to the extraction are studied in terms of distribution of mercury dithizonate in carbon tetrachloride-water system at 293 K (20±1°C). Various distribution constants related to the reagent and the complex formed are evaluated. The equilibrium and kinetic studies of extraction and complex formation are analytically based on atomic absorption and colorimetric methods. Local natural waters were subjected to the proposed method for Hg(II) removal. The method is found to be capable of removing above 98% mercury in a single-step extraction under the conditions evaluated in terms of matrix pH, equilibration time and amount of reagent.     

Electrochemical performance of a three-layer electrode based on Bi nanoparticles,multi-walled carbon nanotube composites for simultaneous Hg(II) and Cu(II) detection

Electrochemical analysis is a promising technique for detecting biotoxic and non-biodegradable heavy metals. This article proposes a novel composite electrode based on a polyaniline (PANi) framework doped with bismuth nanoparticle@graphene oxide multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Bi NPs@GO-MWCNTs) for the simultaneous detection of multiple heavy metal ions. Composite electrodes are prepared on screen-printed electrodes (SPCEs) using an efficient dispensing technique. We used a SM200SX-3A dispenser to load a laboratory-specific ink with optimized viscosity and adhesion to draw a pattern on the work area. The SPCE was used as substrate to facilitate cost-effective and more convenient real-time detection technology. Electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, were used to demonstrate the sensing capabilities of the proposed sensor. The sensitivity, limit of detection, and linear range of the PANi-Bi NPs@GO-MWCNT electrode are 2.57 × 10² μA L μmol⁻¹ cm⁻², 0.01 nmol/L, and 0.01 nmol/L–5 mmol/L and 0.15 × 10⁻¹ μA L μmol⁻¹ cm⁻², 0.5 nmol/L, and 0.5 nmol/L–5 mmol/L for mercury ion (Hg(II)) and copper ion (Cu(II)) detection, respectively. In addition, the electrode exhibits a good selectivity and repeatability for Hg(II) and Cu(II) sensing when tested in a complex heavy metal ion solution. The constructed electrode system exhibits a detection performance superior to similar methods and also increases the types of heavy metal ions that can be detected. Therefore, the proposed device can be used as an efficient sensor for the detection of multiple heavy metal ions in complex environments.     

Determination of trace amounts of mercury(II) in water samples using a novel kinetic catalytic ligand substitution reaction of hexacyanoruthenate(II)

A simple, sensitive, selective and rapid kinetic catalytic method has been developed for the determination of Hg(II) ions at micro-level. This method is based on the catalytic effect of Hg(II) ion on the rate of substitution of cyanide in hexacyanoruthenate(II) with nitroso-R-salt (NRS) in aqueous medium and provides good accuracy and precision. The concentration of Hg(II) catalyst varied from 4.0 to 10.0 × 10⁻⁶ M and the progress of reaction was followed spectrophotometrically at 525 nm (λ_max of purple-red complex [Ru(CN)₅NRS]³⁻,  = 3.1 × 10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) under the optimized reaction conditions; 8.75 × 10⁻⁵ M [Ru(CN)₆⁴⁻], 3.50 × 10⁻⁴ M [nitroso-R-salt], pH 7.00 ± 0.02, ionic strength, I = 0.1 M (KCl), temp 45.0 ± 0.1 °C. The linear calibration curves, i.e. calibration equations between the absorbance at fixed times (t = 15, 20 and 25 min) versus concentration of Hg(II) ions were established under the optimized experimental conditions. The detection limit was found to be 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ M of Hg(II). The effect of various foreign ions on the proposed method has also been studied and discussed. The method has been applied to the determination of mercury(II) in aqueous solutions.     

Thermal behavior of Cu(II)-, Cd(II)-, and Hg(II)-exchanged montmorillonite complexedwith cysteine

The thermal behavior of montmorillonite and organically modified montmorillonite, both treated with heavy metal cations [Cu(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II)], was characterized via thermal analyses (TG, DTG and DTA) combined with evolved species gas mass spectrometry (MS-EGA), and X-ray diffraction at in situ controlled temperature (HTXRD). The reactions involving Cu(II)- and Cd(II)-montmorillonite samples are mostly related to H₂O and OH loss, unlike Hg(II)-montmorillonite, where effects associated to Hg(II) loss are also present. Finally reactions related to dehydration, dehydroxylation and to organic matter decomposition can be observed in montmorillonite samples treated with cysteine.     

A New Sensor with Increased Lifetime Based on a Mixed Diazonium Thick Film/Gold Nanoparticles Interface for Hg(II) Trace Detection

This work describes a novel strategy for surface functionalization, the aim of which is to significantly increase the lifetime of an electrochemical sensor dedicated to Hg(II) trace determination. In order to tailor stable mixed organic/inorganic interfaces, gold nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto a glassy carbon electrode previously functionalized by a thick 4‐thiophenol diazonium film, which affords a good anchoring to the nanoparticles. AFM and FEG‐SEM were used to characterize the film thickness and the nanoparticles average size and density, respectively. By using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry, the sensor exhibited a linear response between 1 and 10 nM Hg(II) and a normalized sensitivity 0.03 μA nM^?1 min^?1. Compared to previous works, the storage lifetime of the interface was at least three times longer, being more than three weeks.     

Schiff base stabilized silver nanoparticles as potential sensor for Hg(II) detection,and anticancer and antibacterial agent

This study reports a facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles (C3-AgNPs) by chemical route, using C3; 2,2′-((1E,1′E)-(propane-1,3-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))diphenol (3) and silver nitrate. The formation of nanoparticles was monitored using UV–Vis spectroscopy by the appearance of typical surface plasmon absorption maxima. The synthesized C3-AgNPs were characterized using Fourier-Transform-infrared (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. In addition, the effect of concentration, temperature, time, pH, and stability in salts solution on C3-AgNPs was determined. From AFM, C3-AgNPs were found polydispersed with average size of 29.93 nm. Furthermore, the study reports C3-AgNPs as sensitive protocol for the detection of toxic metal; Hg(II) in tap water. From ten salts tested, C3-AgNPs demonstrated a sensitive and selective spectrophotometric signal and aggregation induced decrease of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band. The nanosensor probe displayed a sensitive response to Hg(II) in a wide range of concentrations and pH. In addition, the decrease in SPR band of C3-AgNPs due to Hg(II) was not affected by tap water samples. C3-AgNPs also exhibited a redox catalytic potential in dyes degradation. In biological application, C3-AgNPs exhibited significant anticancer and antibacterial potential of 65 to 94% at 24–72 h, and inhibition zone of 7–18 mm, respectively. Hence, the synthesized C3-AgNPs could have promising application in environmental and pharmacological remediation.     

Study on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between CdTe QDs and butyl-rhodamine B in the presence of CTMAB and its application on the detection of Hg(II)

The thioglycolic acid-functionalized CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in aqueous solution using safe and low-cost inorganic salts as precursors. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system was constructed between CdTe QDs (donor) and butyl-rhodamine B (BRB) (acceptor) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB). CTMAB micelles formed in water reduced the distance between the donor and the acceptor significantly and thus improved the FRET efficiency, which resulted in an obvious fluorescence enhancement of the acceptor. Several factors which impacted the fluorescence spectra of the FRET system were studied. The energy transfer efficiency (E) and the distance (r) between CdTe and BRB were obtained. The feasibility of the prepared FRET system as fluorescence probe for detecting Hg(II) in aqueous solution was demonstrated. At pH 6.60, a linear relationship could be established between the quenched fluorescence intensity of BRB and the concentration of Hg(II) in the range of 0.0625-2.5mumolL(-1). The limit of detection was 20.3nmolL(-1). The developed method was proved to be sensitive and repeatable to detect Hg(II) in a wide range in aqueous solutions.     

Rapid and sensitive spectrofluorimetric determination of trace amounts of Hg(II) with o-vanillin-8-aminoquinoline

The fluorimetric determination of mercury ions with o-vanillin-8-aminoquinoline (OVAQ) in aqueous solutions was investigated. Hg(II) could react with the fluorescent reagent OVAQ (λ_ex/em = 278/314 nm) to form a nonfluorescent complex in an ethanol-water medium of pH 6.00. The linear range of the proposed method was from 2.5 to 80 μg/L, and the detection limit was 0.80 μg/L. The interferences of 24 foreign ions were also studied. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Hg(II) in sludge. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Development of a test strip based on DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for rapid detection of mercury(II) ions

A rapid,sensitive,selective and reliable strip assay based on DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for Hg²⁺ detection has been developed,with a detection limit 5 nmol/L.The measurement principle was based on thymine-Hg²⁺-thymine(T-Hg²⁺-T) coordination chemistry and streptavidin-biotin interaction.The major advantages of this assay are that results can be read visually without any instrument in less than 10 min and that it does not require any sample pretreatment.     

金纳米颗粒@碳微球的制备及其电化学检测汞离子性能研究

本文研究了金纳米颗粒@碳微球(Au@CMSs)的制备及水环境中汞离子在该材料上的电化学行为. 实验结果表明,在0.1mol•L^-1 pH = 5.0的NaAc-HAc缓冲溶液中,采用方波伏安法测定汞离子,其浓度与氧化峰电流强度线性良好,相关系数为0.997,检出限为3.69 × 10^-8 mol•L^-1（3σ方法）.     

Solid-phase extraction of Hg(II) on creatine modified activated carbon and determination by ICP-OES in water samples

A new sorbent was successfully prepared by immobilizing creatine on activated carbon and then used for separation/preconcentration of trace Hg(II) prior to detection by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Experimental conditions including pH, sample flow rate and volume, eluting variables and tolerance limit of interfering ions were evaluated and established. At pH 1.0 and flow rate of 2.5?mL?min^?1, Hg(II) was adsorbed quantitatively on the column, then quantitatively eluted by 2.0?mL 0.1?mol?L^?1 nitric acid solution; other transition metal ions did not interfere with the determination of Hg(II). An enrichment factor of 100 was obtained for Hg(II). The maximum adsorption capacity was 49.5?mg?g^?1. Under the optimal conditions, the value of the detection limit (3σ) was 0.06?ng?mL^?1, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) calculated was lower than 3.0% (n?=?8). The methodology was validated by analyzing certified reference materials and successfully applied to the determination of trace Hg(II) in natural water samples with satisfactory results.     

The morphology modulation of graphene to produce wrinkles and folds for effective electrochemical determination of Hg(II)

A highly efficient electrode material, three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide with varying wrinkles and folds (WRGO), applicable for electrochemical determination of Hg(II) was obtained by treating graphene oxide (GO) with KOH aqueous solution. After alkaline etching, the relatively flat graphene was altered and its self-aggregation was significantly alleviated, producing more wrinkles and folds, which provided more active adsorption sites for heavy metal ions. WRGO-5 modified electrode system herein offers a highest sensitivity of (31.83 μAμM⁻¹) and a lowest LOD of (16.28 nM). Moreover, the electrode sensor possesses good stability and reproducibility.     

Complexation of N-bis[2-(1,2-dicarboxyethoxy)ethyl]aspartic acid with Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions in aqueous solution

The persistence of widely used chelating agents EDTA and DTPA in nature has been of concern and there is a need for ligands to replace them. In a search for environmentally friendly metal chelating ligands for industrial applications, complex formation equilibria of N-bis[2-(1,2-dicarboxyethoxy)ethyl]aspartic acid (BCA6) with Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) in aqueous 0.1 M NaNO₃ solution were studied at 25°C by potentiometric titration. Complexation was modeled and the stability constants of the different complexes were determined for each metal ion using the computer program SUPERQUAD. With all metal ions, stable ML^4? complexes dominated the complex formation. The stabilities of Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) chelates of BCA6 are remarkably lower than those of EDTA and DTPA. Environmental advantages of the use of BCA6 instead of EDTA and DTPA are better biodegradability and lower nitrogen content with a possibility to save chemicals and process steps in pulp bleaching.     

Simultaneous determination of Hg(II) and Cu(II) in water samples using fluorescence quenching sensor of N-doped and N,K co-doped graphene quantum dots

The present study was aimed to use of N doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) and N,K co-doped graphene quantum dots (N,K-GQDs) as a fluorescence quenching sensor to determine both mercury and copper in water sample, simultaneously using simple fluorescence protocol. Each of N-GQDs or N,K-GQDs was optimized separately with 1–5% (w/v) HNO₃ or KNO₃, respectively, and their quantum yields were determined and compared. It was found that N-GQDs, obtained from 3% (w/v) HNO₃ doped resulted higher fluorescence intensity at the maximum excitation and emission wavelengths of 370 and 460 nm, respectively, with higher quantum yield (QY = 83.42%) compared with that of undoped GQDs (QY = 16.35%). While N,K-GQDs obtained from 5%(w/v) KNO₃ gave somewhat different fluorescence spectrum, but still had the same maximum excitation and emission wavelengths with rather highest QY (94.07%). However, it is interesting that detection sensitivity expressed as slope of their calibration curve (y = 5.43x − 19.48; r² = 0.9971) of the N-GQDs is rather higher than that (y = 1.29x + 17.66; r² = 0.9977) of the N,K-GQDs for Hg²⁺ fluorescence quenching sensor, and the fluorescence intensity of N-GQDs had better selectively quenching effect only by both Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺. Thus, their quenching effects were selected to develop the fluorescence turn-off sensor for trace level of both metal ions in real water samples. For method validation, the N-GQDs exhibited high sensitivity to detect both Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ with wide linear ranges of 20–100 μM and 100–500 μM, respectively. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.42 μM & 1.41 μM for Hg²⁺ and 13.19 μM & 43.97 μM for Cu²⁺, respectively, with their precision expressed as an intra-day and an inter-day analysis of 6.98% & 11.35% for Hg²⁺ and 11.78% & 9.43% for Cu²⁺, respectively. Also the study of matrix analysis of the water samples (drinking water and tap water), was carried out using N-GQDs and N,K-GQDs resulted good percentage recoveries in comparison with those using undoped GQDs under the same optimum conditions.     

Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) complexes of 8-aminoquinoline.: Structure,spectra and photoluminescence property

The reaction of 8-aminoquinoline (8-aq) with M(NO₃)₂ and M(ClO₄)₂ (where M = Zn, Cd and Hg) has synthesized complexes of the composition [M(8-aq)₂(H₂O)₂](X)₂ (X = NO₃, ClO₄) whereas MCl₂ has isolated M(8-aq)Cl₂ type non-ionic compounds. The reaction of M(OAc)₂, 8-aq and NaN₃/NH₄CNS in a 1:1:2 mole ratio has separated polynuclear complexes of the composition [M(8-aq)(Y)₂]_n (Y = N₃, NCS). The complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic data and have been structurally confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction study in some representative cases. The X-ray structure of [Zn(8-aq)₂(H₂O)₂](NO₃)₂ shows C–H–π, and π–π interactions and forms a H-bonded sheet (with interactions between the oxygen of NO₃ and C(9)–H of 8-aq/coordinated H₂O). A novel one-dimensional cadmium(II) azido complex, [Cd(8-aq)(N₃)₂]n (9), in which the azido takes on an end-on (EO) bridging mode, has been synthesized and characterized. The presence of π–π interactions result in a supramolecular two-dimensional behaviour for the structure. The complexes are photoluminescent at room temperature.     

Cadmium(II) and Mercury(II) Complexes in Ternary Systems with Cytidine and Diamines or Triamines

The mode of coordination of complexes formed in the systems Cd(II) or Hg(II)/cytidine/di- or triamine is proposed on the basis of equilibrium and spectroscopic studies. Mercury(II) binds much more strongly to cytidine and polyamine (PA) than cadmium. It was found from equilibrium and 13 C NMR studies that in the Hg(II) and Cd(II)/ Cyd /di- or triamine complexes, metallation mainly involves the N(3) atom of the pyrimidine base of the nucleoside and m NH x + groups from PA. In MLL' complexes of both metals with diamines, all available donor nitrogen atoms of the polyamine are involved in coordination. In analogous systems with triamines, interaction of all nitrogen atoms is observed for Cd(II) systems as well as in the Hg( Cyd )(2,3- tri ) species. Only two nitrogen atoms of the polyamine coordinate in ternary Hg(II) complexes with dien, 3,3-tri and Spd .     

Selective separation of silver(I) and mercury(II) ions in natural water samples using alumina modified thiouracil derivatives as new solid phase extractors

A simple and reliable solid-phase extraction (SPE) method has been developed to synthesise two new sorbents: 6-propyl-2-thiouracil and 5,6-diamino-2-thiouracil physically loaded onto alumina surface, phases I and II, respectively. The synthesis of these new phases has been confirmed by IR-spectroscopy. The surface concentrations of the organic moieties were determined to be 0.182 and 0.562 mmol g^?1 for phases I and II, respectively. The evaluation of the selectivity and metal uptake properties incorporated in these two alumina phases were also studied and discussed for 10 different metal ions: Ca(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), Pb(II) and Ag(I) under different controlling factors. The data obtained clearly indicated that the new SP-extractors have the highest affinity for retention of Hg(II) ions. Selective separation of Hg(II) from Ag(I) as one of the most interfering ion, in addition to the other eight coexisting metal ions under investigation, was achieved successfully using the new sorbents at pH = 9.0 under static conditions. Therefore, Hg(II) exhibits major retention percentage (100.0%) using phase I or II. However, Ag(I) exhibits minor retention percentage equal to 1.33% using phase I and 0.67% using phase II. On the other hand, the retention percentage of the other eight metal ions ranged (0.0–3.08%) using phase I and (0.0–1.54%) using phase II at the same pH. The new phases were applied for separation and determination of trace amounts of Hg(II) and Ag(I) spiked natural water samples using cold vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy with no matrix interference. The high recovery values of Hg(II) and Ag(I) obtained using phases I and II were ranged 98.9 ± 0.1–99.2 ± 0.05% along with a good precision (RSD% 0.01–0.502%, N = 3) demonstrate the accuracy and validity of the new sorbents for separation and determination of Hg(II) and Ag(I).     

Development of pre-concentration procedure for the determination of Hg isotope ratios in seawater samples

Hg concentrations in seawater are usually too low to allow direct (without pre-concentration and removal of salt matrix) measurement of its isotope ratios with multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Therefore, a new method for the pre-concentration of Hg from large volumes of seawater was developed. The final method allows for relatively fast (about 2.5 L h⁻¹) and quantitative pre-concentration of Hg from seawater samples with an average Hg recovery of 98 ± 6%. Using this newly developed method we determined Hg isotope ratios in seawater. Reference seawater samples were compared to samples potentially impacted by anthropogenic activity. The results show negative mass dependent fractionation relative to the NIST 3133 Hg standard with δ²⁰²Hg values in the range from −0.50‰ to −1.50‰. In addition, positive mass independent fractionation of ²⁰⁰Hg was observed for samples from reference sites, while impacted sites did not show significant Δ²⁰⁰Hg values. Although the influence of the impacted sediments is limited to the seawater and particulate matter in very close proximity to the sediment, this observation may raise the possibility of using Δ²⁰⁰Hg to distinguish between samples from impacted and reference sites.     

Spectrophotometric study of Cd(II), Pb(II), Hg(II) and Zn(II) complexes with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin

The reaction of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) with Cd(II), Pb(II), Hg(II) and Zn(II) was studied spectrophotometrically and kinetics, equilibrium constants as well as photodecomposition of complexes were determined. It was verified that these metal ions with large radius accelerate the incorporation reaction of zinc into TCPP. On the basis of the mechanism and kinetics of this reaction, a sensitive method for the spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of Zn(II) has been developed. The molar absorptivity of examined Zn-TCPP complex and Sandell's sensitivity at 423 nm were 3.5×10⁵ M⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and 18.3 ng cm⁻². The detection limit for the recommended procedure was 1.4×10⁻⁹ M (0.9 ng ml⁻¹) and precision in range 20-100 ng ml⁻¹ not exceeds 2.7% RSD. The proposed method applied for zinc determination in natural waters and nutritional supplement was compared with AAS results and declared value.