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Silver nanoparticles capped with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate for the determination of trace aluminum in water samples and for intracellular fluorescence imaging

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Abstract

We report on a simple method for the determination of traces of aluminum(III) in water at pH 7.4 by using silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) functionalized with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate. The modified Ag-NPs undergo (a) a distinct color change from yellow to deep orange, and (b) a strong fluorescence enhancement upon addition of Al(III). Both the ratio of absorbances at 530 and 392 nm, and the intensity of fluorescence at 492 nm can serve as the analytical information. The absorption-based calibration plot increases linearly in the 0.1 to 4.0 μM Al(III) concentration range. The detection limit is 2.0 nM which is much lower than the permissible level (7.4 μM) for drinking water as defined by the World Health Organization. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Al(III) in samples of lake water, tap water and boiler water, and the recoveries were from 98 to 105 %. The assay also was applied to the determination of Al(III) in living mouse myeloma cells via fluorescence imaging. A linear relationship was obtained between relative fluorescence intensity (F/F0) and the concentration of Al(III) in the 0.05 μM to 4 μM concentration range. The detection limit is 15 nM.

A colorimetric assay for the traces Al3+ using silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) functionalized with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid was introduced. The color change was ascribed to aggregation of Ag-NPs induced by Al3+.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by Jiangxi Province Natural Science Foundation (JXNSF No. 20132BAB203011).

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China

    Yan Shang, Dan Gao, Fangying Wu & Xiaofen Wan

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  1. Yan Shang
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  2. Dan Gao
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  3. Fangying Wu
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  4. Xiaofen Wan
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Correspondence to Fangying Wu.

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Shang, Y., Gao, D., Wu, F. et al. Silver nanoparticles capped with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate for the determination of trace aluminum in water samples and for intracellular fluorescence imaging. Microchim Acta 180, 1317–1324 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1055-y

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