Chemical Sensors for Water Detection in Organic Solvents and their Applications

Abstract

Moisture or trace water detection at a very low level in organic solvents and other chemical reagents has great significance in the chemical and industrial process. At present, reports on chemical sensors for moisture are still in the early development phase and need continuous improvements. Recently, several approaches have been proposed for the easier detection of water content in the organic solvents. In this review article, we have summarized recent reports on chemical sensors used to detect water in organic solvents. The discussion is focused on optical methods, including fluorescent and colorimetric probes exploring solvatochromism, displacement of ligand or metal and water-induced protonation. Besides, water detection in organic solvents by NMR spectroscopy is also discussed. Probe structure, sensitivity with organic solvents, spectroscopy detection limits, and possible application in various other research areas, including ink-less writing, sweat pore mapping, food products and engineering materials are described in detail.

Highly Sensitive Water Detection Through Reversible Fluorescence Changes in a syn-Bimane Based Boronic Acid Derivative

“…Extremely high sensitivity for low concentrations of water was also demonstrated ( Table 1 ), with the lowest detection limit for water of 0.018% (v/v) calculated in DMSO. This detection limit is in line with the limits of the most sensitive sensors for water in organic solvents reported to date ( Huang et al, 2021 ), and indicates that the sensor reported herein represents a highly sensitive detection method ( Kumar et al, 2021 ). Of note, all aqueous studies were conducted in double deionized water, so that no interference and/or fluorescence quenching occurred due to residual metal ions.…”

Dual-functional ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on mixed-lanthanide metal–organic frameworks for the detection of trace water and temperature

“…As far as organic solvents are concerned, trace water is treated as one of the most pervasive impurities, which is difficult to solve in laboratory settings and in the chemical industry. 1,2 Therefore, it is quite necessary to develop simple, reliable, and fast sensors for water detection in organic solvents. Traditionally, Karl Fischer titration and gas chromatography are broadly used for the detection of water content.…”

Fluoranthene dyes for the detection of water content in methanol

“…The detection and quantification of small amounts of water are of great significance in several fields of chemistry and industry. 1 For example, in chemistry, particularly in organometallic chemistry, the presence of water will lead to the quenching of the reactive organometallic compounds, inhibiting the reaction or lowering the yields, and furthermore due to the high reactivity of the aforementioned organometallic reagents, the presence of water can, under some circumstances, lead to catastrophic failures, such as fires and explosions. In addition, an industrial process where the presence of water plays a crucial yet detrimental role is petroleum based fuels.…”