Abstract
A simple 1,2-squaraine based chemosensor material (SQ) has been reported to show dual sensing performance for colorimetric detection of Fe3+ and Hg2+ ions. Compared to common instrumental analysis, this method could provide fast and direct detection though colorimetric changes by the naked eye. The sensor has shown excellent selectivity over the other metal ions by tuning different solvent environments. The detection limit for Fe3+ could reach to 0.538 μM, which was lower than that in the environmental agency guideline (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. EPA) in drinking water. And for Hg2+ detection, the limit was calculated as 1.689 μM in our case. A 1:1 binding mode between SQ–Fe3+ and SQ–Hg2+ ion were evidenced by Job’s plot measurement and IR analysis. The proposed different binding mechanisms were also supported by Density Function Theory (DFT) calculation. All these findings provide a unique material and a simple, facile, and low cost colorimetric method for dual metal ions analysis and have shown preliminary analytical applications in industrial water sample analysis.
Highlights
Development of selective and sensitive chemosensor materials for metal cation ions has attracted considerable attention owing to their key role and potential applications in chemistry, materials, and the environment [1–11]
Iron is one of the essential elements playing an important function in a wide range of biological process, such as cellular metabolism, oxygen carrying, and regulation of enzyme reactions [12–16]
The product was distinct from common squaraine as two carbonyl groups (C=O) on squaric core were adjacent to form 1,2-regioisomer instead of
Summary
Development of selective and sensitive chemosensor materials for metal cation ions has attracted considerable attention owing to their key role and potential applications in chemistry, materials, and the environment [1–11]. Mercury is considered a toxic element that has harmful effects on the human health and the environment. A convenient and rapid method for the analysis of Fe3+ and Hg2+ is highly in demand. Current analytical techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis require sophisticated instruments and complex sample preparation procedures, which limit their wide applications [21–25]. It is imperative to develop simple material and effective methods for the detection of these ions. One strategy for the design of such molecules involves introducing an appropriate binding ligand to the chromophore in which
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