Spectrofluorimetric determination of aluminum ions via complexation with luteolin in absolute ethanol

An optimized and validated spectrofluorimetric method has been developed for the rapid determination of aluminum in absolute ethanol. The method is based on the chelation of aluminum and luteolin which results in a complex exhibiting an intense emission signal. The characterization of Al-luteolin complex was studied using ultraviolet-visible spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, fluorescence and mass spectrometry. The complex stoichiometry ratio of aluminum: luteolin was 1:2. The fluorescence of the complex was monitored at an emission wavelength of 545 nm with excitation at 518 nm. The linear concentration range was 6.5 x 10(-7) to 4.0 x 10(-5)M with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.998. The detection limit was 5.0 x 10(-7) M. The method was appropriately validated and yielded relative standard deviations of < 2.3% (n = 5), which was considered acceptable. The method was successfully applied in the determination of aluminum in river water, skin care products and pharmaceutical samples. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.