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Gold nanoparticle-based selective and efficient spectrophotometric assay for the insecticide methamidophos

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Abstract

A reliable, rapid, and inexpensive nano-sized chemosensor is presented for methamidophos (MET) — an insecticide. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized by a simple one-pot, two-phase chemical reduction method. The synthesized PLA-AuNPs were subsequently employed for selective, efficient, and quantitative detection of MET. MET is one of the highly toxic pesticides used for eradication of agricultural and urban insects. Upon the addition of MET, the wine-red color of PLA-AuNPs swiftly transformed into greyish-blue, further corroborated by a significant bathochromic and hyperchromic shift in the SPR band. The presence of other interfering insecticides, metal salts, and drugs did not have any pronounced effect on quantitative MET detection. The detection limit, the quantification limit, and linear dynamic range of MET utilizing PLA-AuNPs were  0.0027 µM, 0.005 µM, and 0.005–1000 µM, respectively. The PLA-AuNP-based assay renders an efficient, rapid, accurate, and selective quantification of MET in food, biological, and environmental samples. The proposed sensor provides an appropriate platform for fast and on-the-spot determination of MET without requiring a well-equipped lab setup.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Abu Talha, Daim Asif Raja, Dilshad Hussain & Muhammad Imran Malik

  2. Third World Center for Science and Technology, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Muhammad Imran Malik

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  1. Abu Talha
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Talha, A., Raja, D.A., Hussain, D. et al. Gold nanoparticle-based selective and efficient spectrophotometric assay for the insecticide methamidophos. Microchim Acta 191, 164 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-024-06237-z

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