Development of the Colorimetric and/or Fluorescent Probes for Detecting Fluoride ions in Aqueous Solution

Fluoride ion is a strong Lewis base and one of the essential trace elements in human body. It plays a very important role in human health and ecological balance. The deficiency or excessive intake of fluoride ions will cause serious health problems, so the development of a sensitive and accurate detection method for fluoride ions is very important. The colorimetric and/or fluorescence sensing method has been a long standing attractive technique with high sensitivity and fast response. To date, most reported probes for fluoride ion are applicable only in organic solvents or organic-containing aqueous solutions. However, the probes for fluoride ion used in aqueous solution are more practically needed in view of environment protection and human health. In this paper, the materials and designing ideas of the colorimetric and/or fluorescent probes for fluoride ion based on different detection mechanisms in recent years were reviewed. Two main categories including formation of hydrogen bonds and formation of coordination covalent bonds were discussed. The latter one is further subdivided into three types, formation of B-F bond, formation of Si-F bond and formation of Mⁿ⁺-F bond.