Mesitylene based azo-coupled chromogenic tripodal receptors—a visual detection of Ag(I) in aqueous medium

Magnetically Separable Visible Light-Active Ag0.75Ni0.25 Binary Alloy Nanoparticles as a Highly Efficient Photocatalyst for the Selective Oxidative Coupling of Aniline to Azobenzene

Aniline wastes can be converted to useful pharmaceutical and industrial compounds like azobenzene. For this purpose, a bimetallic Ag_0.75Ni_0.25 alloy is designed in the nanoscale range resembling a fivefold twinned morphology using water as the solvent. These newly developed alloy nanoparticles (NPs) are employed for the first time as an efficient visible light-active photocatalyst for the oxidative homocoupling of aniline to azobenzene. Our catalytic protocol is highly sustainable for a large number of aniline substrates with a high yield of the product (up to 95%), which might be attributed to the combinational and superior properties achieved on alloy formation in comparison to the monometallic counterparts. High-electron density amines (p-anisidine) display greater photocatalytic proficiency than that of low-electron density amines (4-fluoroaniline). The developed photocatalyst is magnetically well-separable and can be reused for at least five catalytic cycles without appreciable loss in its activity.

Detection of Ag+ ions via an anti-aggregation mechanism using unmodified gold nanoparticles in the presence of thiamazole

The present study proposed a novel and highly selective and sensitive method for Ag⁺ ion detection based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) anti-aggregation. Thiamazole can induce AuNPs aggregation due to electrostatic interactions, which result in color transitions in the AuNPs solution from red to blue. However, the presence of Ag⁺ ions results in the preferential combination of the pyridinic nitrogen of thiamazole with the Ag⁺ ions. In addition, the Ag⁺ ions oxidize the sulfhydryl groups(-SH), which inhibit AuNPs aggregation and prompt a color change from blue to red. As a result, the present study established a method for Ag⁺ ion determination by AuNPs-thiamazole colorimetric probe based on the aforementioned anti-aggregation mechanism. The probe dynamic range was easily tuned via adjustments of the thiamazole amount. The relationship between the Ag⁺ concentration and AuNPs aggregation was monitored by ultraviolet-visible light (UV-Vis) spectroscopy at a dynamic range of 0.1 nM-9 μM and at a detection limit of 0.042 nM. The river water and tap water recovery analysis validated the successful operation of this colorimetric sensor in environmental monitoring.

Extremely sensitive and wide-range silver ion detection via assessing the integrated surface potential of a DNA-capped gold nanoparticle

With the rapid development of nanotechnology and its associated waste stream, public concern is growing over the potential toxicity exposure to heavy metal ions poses to the human body and the environment. Herein, we report an extremely sensitive Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM)-based platform for detecting nanotoxic materials (e.g. Ag⁺) accomplished by probing the integrated surface potential differences of a single gold nanoparticle on which an interaction between probe DNA and target DNA occurs. This interaction can amplify the surface potential of the nanoparticle owing to the coordination bond mediated by Ag⁺ (cytosine-Ag⁺-cytosine base pairs). Interestingly, compared with conventional methods, this platform is capable of extremely sensitive Ag⁺ detection (∼1 fM) in a remarkably wide-range (1 fM to 1 μM). Furthermore, this platform enables Ag⁺ detection in a practical sample (general drinking water), and this KPFM-based technique may have the potential to detect other toxic heavy metal ions and single nucleotide polymorphisms by designing specific DNA sequences.

Lateral flow test for visual detection of silver (I) based on cytosine-Ag(I)-cytosine interaction in C-rich oligonucleotides

The authors describe an oligonucleotide-based lateral flow test for visual detection of Ag(I). The assay is based on cytosine-Ag(I)-cytosine [C-Ag(I)-C] coordination chemistry to capture gold nanoparticle (AuNP) tags in the test zone. A thiolated C-rich oligonucleotide probe was immobilized on the AuNPs via gold-thiol chemistry, and a biotinylated C-rich oligonucleotide probe was immobilized on the test zone. The AuNPs labelled with C-rich oligonucleotides are captured by Ag(I) ions in the test zone through the C-Ag(I)-C coordination. The resulting accumulation of AuNPs produces a readily visible red band in the test zone. Under optimized conditions, the test is capable of visually detecting 1.0 ppb of Ag(I) which is 50 times lower than the maximum allowable concentration as defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. Hence, the test is inexpensive and highly sensitive. It was applied to the detection of Ag(I) in spiked samples of tap water and river water. In our perception, the test is a particularly valuable tool in limited resource settings.

Detection of Ag(+) using graphite carbon nitride nanosheets based on fluorescence quenching

The graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets were synthesized and applied for the detection of Ag(+) ion in aqueous solutions. Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet/visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used for characterization of g-C3N4 nanosheets. The fluorescence intensity of g-C3N4 nanosheets decreases with the increase in the concentration of Ag(+). The fluorescence probe can be applied for detection of Ag(+). The results show that it has high selectivity to Ag(+) and exhibits a good linearity over the concentration range 0.020-2.0μM with a detection limit of 27nM. Most cations do not have any interference on the detection of Ag(+). The quenching process is assessed and discussed. Finally, the g-C3N4 nanosheets have been successfully used for the detection of Ag(+) in real water samples. The recoveries of spiked water samples are >97%.

Determination of Ag+ ions by a graphene oxide based dual-output nanosensor with high selectivity

A new highly selective chemosensor for Ag⁺ ions was designed and synthesized by covalently introducing well-known fluorophore 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (DAN) onto graphene oxide (GO) sheets.

Optical and thermal properties of azo derivatives of salicylic acid thin films

N-acryloyl-4-aminosalicylic acid (4-AMSA), monomer (HL) and 5-(4'-alkyl phenylazo)-N-acryloyl-4-aminosalicylic acid (HLn) are synthesized and characterized with various physico-chemical techniques. Thin films of 5-(4'-alkyl phenylazo)-N-acryloyl-4-aminosalicylic acid (HLn) are prepared by spin coating technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-ASA) and its derivatives are investigated in powder and thin film forms. Thermal properties of the compounds are investigated by thermogravemetric analysis (TGA). The optical energy gap and the type of optical transition are investigated in the wavelength range (200-2500 nm) for 4-ASA, HL and HLn. The values of fundamental energy gap (Eg) are in the range 3.60-3.69 eV for all compounds and the type of optical transition is found to be indirect allowed. The onset energy gap Eg(∗) appeared only for azodye compounds is found to be in the range 0.95-1.55 eV depending on the substituent function groups. The refractive index, n, shows a normal dispersion in the wavelength range 650-2500 nm, while shows anomalous dispersion in the wavelength rang 200-650 nm. The dispersion parameters ε∞, εL, Ed, Eo and N/m(∗) are calculated. The photoluminescence phenomena (PL) appear for thin films of 4-ASA and its derivatives show three main emission transitions.

A bio-inspired, sensitive, and selective ionic gate driven by silver (I) ions

By grafting specific response DNA on the interior surface of ion track-etched conical nanochannels, a highly sensitive and selective ionic gate that can be driven by silver (I) ions is demonstrated. The switches between the OFF-state and the ON-state are mainly dependent on silver (I) ions and cysteine. Such a biomimetic nanodevice shows potential for application in sensing, pharmaceuticals, and sterilization.

Bismuth nanoparticles: an efficient catalyst for reductive coupling of nitroarenes to azo-compounds

The synthesis of azoarenes from corresponding nitroarenes was developed by virtue of in situ bismuth nanoparticles.

Synthesis of fluorescent BCN hybrid nanosheets: a highly efficient fluorosensor for rapid, simple, sensitive Ag+ detection

In this work, we develop a simple and low-cost synthetic strategy to prepare fluorescent BCN hybrid nanosheets.

Spectroscopic properties of some new azo-azomethine ligands in the presence of Cu(2+), Pb(2+), Hg(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cd(2+) and Zn(2+) and their antioxidant activity

Due to their potential applicability as selective receptors in optical sensors, two novel azo Schiff-base derivatives I and II are synthesized and characterized with FT-IR, (1)H NMR and elemental analysis techniques. The optical response of azo groups of I and II towards Ni(2+), Co(2+), Cu(2+), Pb(2+), Hg(2+), Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) metal ions is studied in DMSO by UV-vis spectroscopy. The absorption spectra of both compounds with cations show marked changes. In solution, azo Schiff-base I produces a cation induced 95nm blue shift for Cu(2+) ion from 555nm to 460nm with remarkable color change from red to yellow. Whereas no significant color change is observed upon addition of studied metal cations to the solution of ligand II or other metal ions to the solution of ligand I. Furthermore, Job's plot indicate 1:1 binding-stoichiometry for I with Cu(2+) ion and Benesi-Hildebrand plot is used for the determination of its association constant. Therefore receptor I is highly specific for copper ions in DMSO solution. Finally, the study of antioxidant properties of I and II with DPPH method reveals high and significant activities.

An ultrasensitive electrochemical method for detection of Ag(+) based on cyclic amplification of exonuclease III activity on cytosine-Ag(+)-cytosine

Ag(+) is known to bind very strongly with cytosine-cytosine (C-C) mismatches in DNA duplexes to form C-Ag(+)-C base pairs. Exonuclease III (Exo III) can catalyze the stepwise removal of mononucleotides of duplex DNA. In this work, we study Exo III activity on DNA hybrids containing C-Ag(+)-C base pairs. Our experiments show that Ag(+) ions could intentionally trigger the activity of Exo III towards a designed cytosine-rich DNA oligonucleotide (C-rich probe) by the conformational change of the probe. Our sensing strategy uses this conformation-dependent activity of Exo III, which is controlled through the cyclical shuffling of Ag(+) ions between the solid DNA hybrid and the solution phase. This interesting conversion has led to the development of an ultrasensitive detection platform for Ag(+) ions with a detection limit of 0.03 nM and a total assay time possible within minutes. This simple detection strategy could also be used for the detection of other metal ions which exhibit specific interactions with natural or synthetic bases.

Real-time study of interactions between cytosine-cytosine pairs in DNA oligonucleotides and silver ions using dual polarization interferometry

The real-time conformational changes of cytosine (C)-rich ssDNA oligonucleotides upon binding with silver ions (Ag(+)) were studied using dual polarization interferometry (DPI). Upon the addition of Ag(+), Ag(+) selectively bound to cytosine-cytosine mismatches and formed C-Ag(+)-C complexes, inducing change of the structure of the C-rich ssDNA from random coil conformation to duplex conformation, whereas the control ssDNA without cytosine-cytosine mismatches had no such signal, which was consistent with circular dichroism (CD) characterization. The conformational change of DNA was reflected on the changes of the mass, thickness, and density values resolved by DPI. The calibration curves showed that as the concentration of Ag(+) increased from 10 nM to 8 μM, the thickness and mass values increased linearly while the density values decreased linearly. Other metal ions such as K(+), Ca(2+), Na(+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), Mn(2+), Ni(2+), and Pb(2+) did not interfere with the interaction between Ag(+) and C-rich ssDNA, indicating that this method had a good selectivity. The practical application of this biosensor was also investigated in real samples such as drinking water. Besides, cysteine could specifically capture Ag(+) from C-Ag(+)-C complexes and transformed the structure of the C-rich DNA back from rigid double-stranded conformation to random coil conformation, which allowed cysteine to be detected selectively as well. It is expected that this biosensing strategy may be utilized to study the interaction of DNA with other molecules.

Growth and stabilization of silver nanoparticles on carbon dots and sensing application

Carbon dots (C-dots) have been proven to show the capability for direct reduction of Ag(+) to elemental silver (Ag(0)) without additional reducing agent or external photoirradiation by incubating Ag(+) with C-dots for 5 min in a water bath at 50 °C. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are simultaneously formed with an average size of 3.1 ± 1.5 nm and grew on carbon dots. This process involves the oxidation of amine or phenol hydroxyl groups on the aromatic ring of C-dots. Meanwhile C-dots protect and stabilize the Ag-NPs from aggregation in aqueous medium; that is, the Ag-NPs are stable at least for 45 days in aqueous medium. The formed Ag-NPs cause significant resonance light scattering (RLS), which correlates closely with the concentration of silver cation, and this facilitates quantitative detection of silver in aqueous medium.

Facile Cu(I)-catalyzed oxidative coupling of anilines to azo compounds and hydrazines with diaziridinone under mild conditions

A mild and highly efficient Cu(I)-catalyzed oxidative coupling of anilines is described. Various primary and secondary anilines can be efficiently coupled under mild conditions to the corresponding azo compounds and hydrazines in high yields. This method provides a direct and practical access to these compounds and is also amenable to gram scale with no special precautions to exclude air or moisture.

Highly sensitive and selective detection of silver(I) in aqueous solution with silver(I)-specific DNA and Sybr Green I

We report a label-free fluorescence turn-on approach for the sensitive and selective sensing of silver ion Ag(+) based on Ag(+) induced conformational change of cytosine-rich single-stranded DNA. A silver specific oligonucleotide (SSO) undergoes a structural transition from single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) to a C-Ag(+)-C mediated hairpin structure, which can be recognized by a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) intercalator Sybr Green I (SG). The linear response range for Ag(+) detection was from 1 nM to 100 nM. The method presented here is highly sensitive and a limit of detection of 1 nM was obtained. More importantly, this optical method was successfully used to identify complex sample mixtures.

High-sensitivity detection of silver ions using oligonucleotide-immobilized oscillator

With the remarkable developments in the fields of nanoscale research and industry, nanotoxicity is gaining importance from the viewpoint of its potential impact on human health and the environment. Herein, we report on the label-free, high-sensitivity detection of Ag(+), a representative nanotoxic material, by using a silver-specific nucleotide-coated oscillator. The detection is based on the measurement of the resonant frequency shift arising from constitution of the cytosine-Ag(+)-cytosine bonding. We amplify the resonant frequency shift by using single cytosine molecules. It is shown that a silver-specific DNA-immobilized oscillator enables the capture of silver ions at concentrations below 1 nM. Remarkably, the nucleotide-based oscillator enables an insight into the coordination chemistry, which plays an important role in the early detection of toxicity. This implies that the bio-conjugated sensor could be used to set the reference point for water quality.

Multiplexed analysis of silver(I) and mercury(II) ions using oligonucletide-metal nanoparticle conjugates

A colorimetric assay has been developed for the simultaneous selective detection of silver(I) and mercury(II) ions utilizing metal nanoparticles (NPs) as sensing element based on their unique surface plasmon resonance properties. In this method, sulfhydryl group modified cytosine-(C)-rich ssDNA (SH-C-ssDNA) was self-assembled on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to produce the AuNPs-C-ssDNA complex, and sulfhydryl group modified thymine-(T)-rich ssDNA (SH-T-ssDNA) was self-assembled on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to produce the AgNPs-T-ssDNA complex. Oligonucleotides (SH-C-ssDNA or SH-T-ssDNA) could enhance the AuNPs or AgNPs against salt-induced aggregation. However, the presence of silver(I) ions (Ag(+)) in the complex of ssDNA-AuNPs would reduce the stability of AuNPs due to the formation of Ag(+) mediated C-Ag(+)-C base pairs accompanied with the AuNPs color change from red to purple or even to dark blue. Moreover, the presence of mercury(II) ions (Hg(2+)) would also reduce the stability of AgNPs due to the formation of Hg(2+) mediated T-Hg(2+)-T base pairs accompanied with the AgNPs color change from yellow to brown, then to dark purple. The presence of both Ag(+) and Hg(2+) will reduce the stability of both AuNPs and AgNPs and cause the visible color change. As a result, Ag(+) and Hg(2+) could be detected qualitatively and quantitatively by the naked eye or by UV-vis spectral measurement. The lowest detectable concentration of a 5 nM mixture of Ag(+) and Hg(2+) in the river water was gotten by the UV-vis spectral measurement.

Sensitive and selective detection of silver(I) ion in aqueous solution using carbon nanoparticles as a cheap, effective fluorescent sensing platform

In this Letter, we demonstrate the first use of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) obtained from carbon soot by lighting a candle as a cheap, effective fluorescent sensing platform for Ag(+) detection with a detection limit as low as 500 pM and high selectivity. We further demonstrate its practical application to detect Ag(+) in a real sample.

Silver ions-mediated conformational switch: facile design of structure-controllable nucleic acid probes

Conformationally constraint nucleic acid probes were usually designed by forming an intramolecular duplex based on Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds. The disadvantages of these approaches are the inflexibility and instability in complex environment of the Watson-Crick-based duplex. We report that this hydrogen bonding pattern can be replaced by metal-ligation between specific metal ions and the natural bases. To demonstrate the feasibility of this principle, two linear oligonucleotides and silver ions were examined as models for DNA hybridization assay and adenosine triphosphate detection. The both nucleic acids contain target binding sequences in the middle and cytosine (C)-rich sequences at the lateral portions. The strong interaction between Ag(+) ions and cytosines forms stable C-Ag(+)-C structures, which promises the oligonucleotides to form conformationally constraint formations. In the presence of its target, interaction between the loop sequences and the target unfolds the C-Ag(+)-C structures, and the corresponding probes unfolding can be detected by a change in their fluorescence emission. We discuss the thermodynamic and kinetic opportunities that are provided by using Ag(+) ion complexes instead of traditional Watson-Crick-based duplex. In particular, the intrinsic feature of the metal-ligation motif facilitates the design of functional nucleic acids probes by independently varying the concentration of Ag(+) ions in the medium.

Fluorescent recognition of potassium and calcium ions using functionalised CdSe / ZnS quantum dots

Schiff base receptor 1a has been synthesised and attached to the surface of preformed CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots (QDs) to form QD-conjugate 2a. While 1a was determined to be selective for Mg2+, 2a demonstrated selectivity for both K+ and Ca2+ when tested against a range of physiologically and environmentally relevant cations by changes in the fluorescence spectra. Thus, the nanoparticle surface functions as a scaffold for the organisation of receptors enabling semi-selective binding. The fluorescence response was shown to be linear between 15-50 microM for K+ and 2-35 microM for Ca2+. It was also demonstrated that 2a could measure both K+ and / or Ca2+ in solutions containing both ions.