A highly selective turn on fluorescence sensor for Hg2+ based on rhodamine derivative

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Mercury ions (Hg2+) pose significant environmental and health risks.
• Development of selective and sensitive chemosensors is crucial for mercury detection.
• Rhodamine-based compounds are widely explored for fluorescent sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel rhodamine-based fluorescent chemosensor, RSP.
• To evaluate the selectivity and sensitivity of RSP for Hg2+ detection.
• To demonstrate the practical application of RSP for mercury detection in aqueous samples.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of the rhodamine-based chemosensor (RSP) using NMR, FT-IR, and Mass spectrometry.
• Fluorescence spectroscopy was employed to study the sensing behavior of RSP towards various metal ions.
• Job plot analysis was used to determine the binding stoichiometry between RSP and Hg2+.
• Fabrication of test strips for visual detection of mercury ions.

Main Results:

• The synthesized chemosensor RSP demonstrated high selectivity for Hg2+ over other tested metal ions.
• Fluorescence enhancement was observed upon binding of RSP with Hg2+ in ethanol solution.
• The detection limit for Hg2+ was found to be in the 10(-6) M range.
• The binding ratio of the RSP-Hg2+ complex was determined to be 1:1.
• RSP-based test strips enabled naked-eye detection of mercuric ions in water samples.

Conclusions:

• The novel rhodamine-based chemosensor RSP is a highly selective and sensitive probe for Hg2+ detection.
• RSP shows potential for practical applications in environmental monitoring of mercury.
• The developed test strips offer a simple and effective method for on-site detection of mercury.