On/off rhodamine based fluorescent probe for detection of Au and Pd in aqueous solutions

A water-soluble turn on/off rhodamine 6G based fluorescent probe for selective detection of Au and Pd ions in aqueous acidic solutions has been developed. The newly designed probe reacts with [AuCl4](-) and [PdCl4](2-) to generate a product with different optical properties. The probe undergoes a remarkable change in its absorption and emission spectrum upon addition of Au and Pd complexes that is associated with a discoloration and quenching of probe fluorescence. The probe exhibits near linear signal response and allows determination of Au and Pd content in aqueous solutions from 0.1 mu M. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.