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A colorimetric silver nanoparticle-based assay for Hg(II) using lysine as a particle-linking reagent

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Abstract

We describe a colorimetric method for the determination of Hg(II) that is based on the aggregation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the presence of Hg(II) and lysine. If Hg(II) ions are added to unmodified AgNPs, they will deposit on the surface where they will be reduced to Hg(0) by NaBH4 to form a shell around the AgNPs. Upon addition of lysine to the Hg(II)-capped AgNPs, the aggregation of the AgNPs will be induced because the two amino groups of lysine have a high affinity for Hg(II). Aggregation results in a color change from orange to yellowish. The effect was exploited to design a colorimetric assay for Hg(II) that has a 1 nM detection limit.

A simple, fast, and sensitive, colorimetric probe for the detection of Hg2+ is designed.

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Acknowledgments

All authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of key scientific and technological project of Henan Province (122102210406)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang, 453003, China

    Li Li & Weiwei Li

  2. Xinxiang Vocational and Technical College, Xinxiang, 453000, China

    Lili Gui

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  1. Li Li
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  2. Lili Gui
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  3. Weiwei Li
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Correspondence to Li Li.

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Li, L., Gui, L. & Li, W. A colorimetric silver nanoparticle-based assay for Hg(II) using lysine as a particle-linking reagent. Microchim Acta 182, 1977–1981 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-015-1536-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-015-1536-2

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