Surfactant-sensitized ratiometric fluorescent chemodosimeter for the highly selective detection of mercury(II) ions based on vinyl ether oxymercuration

The ratiometric fluorescence chemodosimeter N-butyl-4-(prop-1-en-1-yloxy)-1,8-naphthalic anhydride (NT-VE) was designed for Hg2+ recognition by oxymercuration at ambient temperature with high selectivity and no interference from other metal cations such as Cu2+, Ag+, Au3+, Fe3+, etc. The NT-VE could be incorporated into sodium dodecyl-benzenesulfonate (SDBS) micelles, which was confirmed by the clear emission enhancement observed in 0.1 mM SDBS. The hydrophobic core of the SDBS enhanced the solubility of NT-VE, enabling the detection of Hg2+ in aqueous solution, and the negatively charged micelle surface increased the local concentration of Hg2+ for amplified sensitivity. This work demonstrated the excellent performance of the NT-VE chemodosimeter for ratiometric detection of Hg2+ in aqueous solution. The NT-VE/SDBS system could detect Hg2+ over a linear range of 0.05-10 mu M and a detection limit of 9 ppb (45 nM) in water.