Determination of Hg2+ in water based on acriflavine functionalized AgNPs by SERS

A selective colorimetric and efficient removal strategy for mercury(II) in aquatic systems using mesoporous Fe3O4-loaded silver probes

Mesoporous Fe3O4-loaded silver nanocomposites (Fe3O4@Ag) were simply fabricated as bi-functional nanozymes for the catalysis-based detection and removal of Hg2+ ions. It was found that the as-prepared magnetic Fe3O4@Ag could display peroxidase-like catalysis activity that could be rationally enhanced in the presence of Hg2+ ions. To our surprise, the shell of the Ag element may decrease the catalysis of the Fe3O4 to some degree. However, the Ag particles could serve as the probes for specifically recognizing Hg2+ ions and trigger increased catalysis through the formation of Ag-Hg alloys, with a decreased signal background. A high-throughput colorimetric analytical method was thereby developed based on the Fe3O4@Ag catalysis for probing Hg2+ ions in the muscles of fish by using 96-well plates, at linear Hg2+ concentrations ranging from 0.010 to 2.5 mg kg-1. Moreover, the developed colorimetric analytical method was applied to evaluate Hg2+ levels in muscle samples of different kinds of fish. Unexpectedly, an obvious difference of Hg2+ levels in muscles of four kinds of fish was discovered, with the order of snakehead (Ophicephalus argus) > largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) > crucian carp (Carassius auratus) > silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), where the carnivorous fish showed higher Hg2+ levels than the omnivorous or plant-based ones. Moreover, the as-fabricated Fe3O4@Ag adsorbents with their large specific surface area and high environmental robustness could exhibit efficient Hg2+ adsorption with capacities of up to 397.60 mg g-1. A removal efficiency of 99.40% can also be expected for Hg2+ ions from wastewater, with the magnet-aided recycling of Fe3O4@Ag adsorbents. Such an Fe3O4@Ag-based colorimetric analysis and removal strategy for Hg2+ ions should find wide applications in the fields of aquatic food safety, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics of Hg-poisoning diseases.

A sensitive surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering sensor with bifunctional negatively charged gold nanoparticles for the determination of Cr(VI)

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) pollution in the water system has seriously endangered human health and the environment. Herein, we propose a rapid, simple and sensitive surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) sensor with the bifunctional negatively charged gold nanoparticles ((-)AuNPs) which employ as not only the oxidoreductase-like nanozyme but also the substrate to determine Cr(VI). (-)AuNPs effectively promoted the conversion of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into the blue product of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine diamine (oxTMB) in the presence of Cr(VI) and generated a strong SERRS signal at 1611 cm^-1. According to this principle, the Raman intensity difference at 1611 cm^-1 exhibited a satisfactory linear relationship with the logarithm of the Cr(VI) concentration from 10^-5 to 10^-9 M with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.4 nM. In addition, the possible SERRS enhancement mechanism, selectivity and reproducibility were also investigated. What's more, the SERRS platform was successfully applied in the complicated water samples, which was anticipated to become a promising analytical method for monitoring of Cr(VI) in the environment.

Acridine-based dyes as high-performance near-infrared Raman reporter molecules for cell imaging

A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoprobe has been proven to be a promising tool for near-infrared (NIR) biomedical imaging and diagnosis because of its high sensitivity and selectivity. However, the development of NIR SERS reporters has been a bottleneck impeding the preparation of ultrasensitive SERS probes. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a series of SERS reporters in the NIR region based on 10-methylacridine (AD). The AD nanotags (gold nanostar–AD molecules–BSA, AuNS–AD–BSA) exhibit appreciable SERS signals and can be detected at as low as the sub-picomole level. The results of in vitro imaging experiments show that it can be used in live-cell delineation.

A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoprobe has been proven to be a promising tool for near-infrared (NIR) biomedical imaging and diagnosis because of its high sensitivity and selectivity.

Structural characterization and theoretical calculations of the monohydrate of the 1:2 cocrystal salt formed from acriflavine and 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid

The synthesis and structural characterization of the monohydrated 1:2 cocrystal salt of acriflavine with 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid [systematic name: 3,6-diamino-10-methylacridin-10-ium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid-water (1/1/1), C₁₄H₁₄N₃⁺·C₇H₃N₂O₆^-·C₇H₄N₂O₆·H₂O] are reported. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements show that the title solvated monohydrate salt crystalizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁ with one acriflavine cation, a 3,5-dinitrobenzoate anion, a 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid molecule and a water molecule in the asymmetric unit. The neutral and anionic forms of 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid are linked via O-H...O hydrogen bonds to form a monoanionic dimer. Neighbouring monoanionic dimers of 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid are linked by nitro-nitro N-O...N and nitro-acid N-O...π intermolecular interactions to produce a porous organic framework. The acriflavine cations are linked with carboxylic acid molecules directly via amine-carboxy N-H...O, amine-nitro N-H...O and acriflavine-carboxy C-H...O hydrogen bonds, and carboxy-acriflavine C-O...π, nitro-acriflavine N-O...π and acriflavine-nitro π-π interactions, or through the water molecule by amino-water N-H...O and water-carboxy O-H...O hydrogen bonds, and are located in the voids of the porous organic framework. The intermolecular interactions were studied using the CrystalExplorer program to provide information about the interaction energies and the dispersion, electrostatic, polarization and repulsion contributions to the lattice energy.