Rutin-modified silver nanoparticles as a chromogenic probe for the selective detection of Fe³⁺ in aqueous medium

The development of nanoprobes for selective detection of metal ions in solution has attracted great attention due to their impact on living organisms. As a contribution to this field, this paper reports the synthesis of silver nanoparticles modified with rutin in the presence of ascorbic acid and their successful use as a chromogenic probe for the selective detection of Fe³⁺ in aqueous solution. Limits of detection and quantification were found to be 17 nmol L^-1 and 56 nmol L^-1, respectively. The sensing ability is proposed to proceed via an iron-induced nanoparticle growth/aggregation mechanism. A practical approach using image analysis for quantification of Fe³⁺ is also described.