Mix‐&‐Read Determination of Mercury(II) at Trace Levels with Hybrid Mesoporous Silica Materials Incorporating Fluorescent Probes by a Simple Mix‐&‐Load Technique

Abstract

The synthesis, characterization, and application of mesoporous materials containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties that allow the sensitive and selective detection of HgII in aqueous environments by fluorescence enhancement is reported. For this purpose, BODIPY dye I containing a thia‐aza crown ether receptor as the fluorescent probe for the detection of HgII in aqueous environments is encapsulated into mesoporous materials to avoid self‐quenching or aggregation in water. Determination of HgII is accomplished within a few seconds with high selectivity and sensitivity, reaching a limit of detection of 12 ppt. The determination of trace amounts of HgII in natural waters and in fish extracts is demonstrated by using our sensing material. The incorporation of the material into several μ‐PAD strips yields a portable, cheap, quick, and easy‐to‐handle tool for trace HgII analysis in water.

On the Aggregation Behaviour and Spectroscopic Properties of Alkylated and Annelated Boron‐Dipyrromethene (BODIPY) Dyes in Aqueous Solution

“…Based on our experience in the field of BODIPY dyes and their spectroscopic properties and due to the fact that we also encountered diverse behaviour of these dyes in water during various investigations, we embarked on a study of the spectroscopic properties of a series of BODIPYs in aqueous media. As will be detailed below, different spectroscopic patterns can be expected for BODIPYs in aqueous environments.…”