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Colorimetric and visual detection of mercury(II) based on the suppression of the interaction of dithiothreitol with agar-stabilized silver-coated gold nanoparticles

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Abstract

A colorimetric and visual method is described for the determination of mercury(II) ion. A gel consisting of agar-stabilized silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) was prepared. The reaction with dithiothreitol (DTT) via thiol-Ag chemistry results in an orange to purple color change of the gel. However, in the presence of Hg(II), the reaction of DTT with the silver shells is suppressed due to the strong thiophilicity of Hg(II). The color of the gel changes from purple to red to orange in the presence of increasing concentrations of Hg(II). The Au@Ag NPs therefore are a viable optical probe for Hg(II) which can be detected in concentration as low as 78 nM via dual-wavelength ratiometric absorbance (A390/A520), and at 1 μM levels with bare eyes. The use of agar as a support is mandatory to prevent the aggregation of the NPs and also improves selectivity. The method was applied to the analysis of spiked samples, and recoveries ranged between 96.3 and 104%. The assay is easy, inexpensive, and in our perception represents an attractive tool for on-site visual detection of Hg(II).

Schematic of the assay. With increasing concentrations of Hg(II), the oxidative etching of silver shells caused by dithiothreitol (DTT) is gradually inhibited, and the color of agar-stabilized Au@Ag NP gel varies from purple to red, and finally to orange. This can be used for visual detection of Hg(II).

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21775073 and 61605084).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, China

    Qiang Da, Yuanyuan Gu, Liying Zhang & Shuhu Du

  2. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, China

    Xiafeng Peng

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  1. Qiang Da
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  2. Yuanyuan Gu
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  4. Liying Zhang
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Correspondence to Liying Zhang or Shuhu Du.

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Da, Q., Gu, Y., Peng, X. et al. Colorimetric and visual detection of mercury(II) based on the suppression of the interaction of dithiothreitol with agar-stabilized silver-coated gold nanoparticles. Microchim Acta 185, 357 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-018-2899-y

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