Simple and Equipment-Free Paper-Based Device for Determination of Mercury in Contaminated Soil

This work presents a simple and innovative protocol employing a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) for equipment-free determination of mercury. In this method, mercury (II) forms an ionic-association complex of tetraiodomercurate (II) ion (HgI₄²⁻_(aq)) using a known excess amount of iodide. The residual iodide flows by capillary action into a second region of the paper where it is converted to iodine by pre-deposited iodate to liberate I_2(g) under acidic condition. Iodine vapor diffuses across the spacer region of the µPAD to form a purple colored of tri-iodide starch complex in a detection zone located in a separate layer of the µPAD. The digital image of the complex is analyzed using ImageJ software. The method has a linear calibration range of 50–350 mg L⁻¹ Hg with the detection limit of 20 mg L⁻¹. The method was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in contaminated soil and water samples which the results agreed well with the ICP-MS method. Three soil samples were highly contaminated with mercury above the acceptable WHO limits (0.05 mg kg⁻¹). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first colorimetric µPAD method that is applicable for soil samples including mercury contaminated soils from gold mining areas.

Determination of copper (II) in foodstuffs based on its quenching effect on the fluorescence of N,N'-bis(pyridoxal phosphate)-o-phenylenediamine

A Schiff base-type fluorescence probe was prepared for the detection of copper (II) in foodstuffs. The probe is N,N'-bis(pyridoxal phosphate)-o-phenylenediamine (BPPP). It was synthesized by utilizing the Schiff base condensation reaction of pyridoxal 5-phosphate with 1,2-phenylenediamine. BPPP has the properties of high fluorescence stability, good water solubility and low toxicity. Its maximum excitation wavelength and maximum fluorescence emission wavelength are at 389 and 448 nm, respectively. When BPPP coexists with copper (II), its fluorescence is dramatically quenched. Under a certain condition, the fluorescence intensity decreased proportionally to the concentration of copper (II) by the quenching effect. Based on this fact, we established a fluorescence quenching method for the determination of copper (II). Under optimal conditions a linear range was found to be 0.5-50 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.2 ng/mL. The method has been applied to determine copper (II) in foodstuff samples and the analytical results show good agreement with that obtained from atomic absorption spectrometry method.