A highly selective colorimetric sensor to Fe3+ and Co2+ in aqueous solutions

Five aromatic azo dyes with hydroxyl groups (1–5) were designed and synthesized by coupling reactions. The relationships between structures of the compounds and the spectroscopic properties were investigated. The absorption spectra of these compounds upon titration with K⁺, Ca²⁺, Al³⁺, Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions in neutral aqueous solutions were reported. The results are coincident with the calculation results using the density functional theory method. The high selectivity, excellent water solubility and simple synthetic process make 1-[(2-Hydroxyl)phenylazo]-2-naphthol (5) a potential sensor for sensing Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ with the naked eye. 1-[(2-hydroxyl)phenylazo]-2-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid (3) shows high selectivity for the colorimetric detection of Fe³⁺ and Co²⁺ among the tested metal ions. The detection limitations of 3 for determining Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺ were calculated to be 2.8 × 10^?7 and 5.6 × 10^?7 mol/L, respectively.