Highly selective fluorescent probe for detecting mercury ions in water

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Mercury ion (Hg²⁺) is a highly toxic heavy metal pollutant.
• Its persistence, migration, and bioconcentration pose significant environmental and health risks.
• Effective monitoring methods for Hg²⁺ are crucial for environmental protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel fluorescent probe, TPH.
• To enable sensitive and quantitative detection of Hg²⁺ in aquatic environments.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the TPH fluorescent probe.
• Characterization of probe performance for Hg²⁺ detection.
• Application of the probe in real water sample analysis.

Main Results:

• The TPH probe demonstrated quantitative detection of Hg²⁺ within a 0-5 μM range.
• A low limit of detection (LOD) of 16 nM was achieved.
• The probe showed a linear detection range from 0 to 2.5 μM.
• Successful application of TPH for monitoring Hg²⁺ in environmental water samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed TPH probe is a suitable tool for monitoring Hg²⁺ in actual water environments.
• This probe offers a sensitive and reliable method for assessing mercury contamination.
• The findings contribute to the development of advanced environmental monitoring techniques.