Poly(1-amino-5-chloroanthraquinone): highly selective and ultrasensitive fluorescent chemosensor for ferric ion

Poly(1-amino-5-chloroanthraquinone) (PACA) was firstly synthesized by a chemically oxidative interfacial polymerization. The PACA has been developed as a fluorescent sensor for the determination of Fe(III) in semi-aqueous solution at pH 7.0. The sensor exhibited remarkably high sensitivity toward Fe(3+) since the fluorescence of the polymer could be significantly quenched even though trace Fe(3+) was added. The sensor showed a linear fluorescence emission response over a wide concentration range from 1.0 × 10(-10) to 1.0 × 10(-4) M, with an ultra-low detection limit of 2.0 × 10(-11) M. The quenching of the fluorescence was found to be static one due to the formation of non-fluorescent complex in the ground state.