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Qualitative Identification of Carboxylic Acids, Boronic Acids, and Amines Using Cruciform Fluorophores
Published on: August 19, 2013
Direct sensing of fluoride in aqueous solutions using a boronic acid based sensor
Xin Wu1, Xuan-Xuan Chen, Bing-Nan Song
1Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. ybjiang@xmu.edu.cn.
Fluoride ions trigger pyreneboronic acid-catechol aggregation in acidic solutions, enabling sensitive detection. This novel sensor demonstrates an unprecedented binding constant for boronic acid-based fluoride detection in water.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Boronic acids are widely used in sensing applications.
- Development of sensitive and selective fluoride sensors remains a challenge.
- Existing boronic acid-based sensors often suffer from low binding affinity in aqueous media.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel sensor for sensitive fluoride ion detection.
- To investigate the aggregation behavior of a pyreneboronic acid-catechol ensemble.
- To evaluate the performance of the sensor in acidic aqueous solutions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a pyreneboronic acid-catechol ensemble.
- Performed sensing experiments in acidic aqueous solutions.
- Measured excimer emission to quantify fluoride ion concentration.
Main Results:
- Fluoride ion binding induced aggregation of the pyreneboronic acid-catechol ensemble.
- The aggregation led to intense excimer emission.
- Achieved sensitive fluoride ion sensing at parts per million (ppm) levels.
- Observed an apparent fluoride binding constant greater than 10(3) M(-1), which is unprecedented for boronic acid sensors in water.
Conclusions:
- The pyreneboronic acid-catechol ensemble is a highly effective platform for fluoride ion sensing.
- The sensor exhibits high sensitivity and an unprecedented binding affinity in aqueous solutions.
- This approach offers a promising method for environmental monitoring of fluoride ions.
