Facile liquid colorimetric sensor using high-density deep eutectic solvent for trace detection and speciation of iron in milk

An efficient colorimetric sensor was developed using a high-density deep eutectic solvent (HD-DES) for the trace detection and speciation of iron in various milk samples. A liquid colorimetric probe was fabricated by dissolving ferrozine (FZ) in HD-DES prepared from TBABr and PBA. The prederivatization of Fe2+ via complexation with FZ on the HD-DES/FZ probe provided the [Fe(FZ)(3)](4- )complex, which led to a color change from pale yellow to purple before it was simultaneously extracted by HD-DES. The Fe3+ content was calculated by subtracting the amount of Fe2+ from the total Fe content following the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ by L-ascorbic acid in an acid buffer. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed colorimetric sensor exhibited appreciable linearity in the concentration range of 0.003-0.04 mg L-1, a low limit of detection (0.95 mg L-1), high enrichment factor (50), and outstanding repeatability. The liquid colorimetric probe was successfully applied for the determination and speciation of iron in milk samples, and the results were compared with those obtained using the standard atomic absorption spectrometry method. Moreover, quantitative analysis was performed on a smartphone using the Image J application to estimate the color intensity change, which eliminated the requirement of sophisticated scientific instruments. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

An efficient colorimetric sensor using a high-density deep eutectic solvent was developed for the detection and analysis of iron in milk samples. The sensor utilized a liquid colorimetric probe and a smartphone application for quantitative analysis.