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Fluorometric determination of nitrite through its catalytic effect on the oxidation of iodide and subsequent etching of gold nanoclusters by free iodine

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Abstract

A method for sensitive detection of nitrite is presented. It is found that the red fluorescence of gold nanoclusters (with excitation/emission maxima at 365/635 nm) is quenched by traces of iodine via etching. Free iodide is formed by oxidation of iodide by bromate anion under the catalytic effect of nitrite. This catalytic process provides a sensitive means for nitrite detection. Under the optimal conditions, fluorescence linearly dropos in the 10 nM to 0.8 μM nitrite concentration range. The limit of detection is 1.1 nM. This is a few orders of magnitude lower than the maximum concentration allowed by authorities.

Schematic representation of a method for detection of nitrite via a redox reaction. Iodine was produced in the reaction and subsequently quenched the fluorescence from gold nanoclusters by etching their metallic cores, and a sensitive assay for nitrite down to 1.1 nM was developed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21305100), the Project of Scientific and Technologic Infrastructure of Suzhou (SZS201708) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Lab of Health Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of Suzhou, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, 199 Ren’ai Road, Industrial Park, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Zhu Su, Xinyi Wang, Minchuan Luo, Yifeng Tu & Jilin Yan

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China

    Liang Li

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  1. Zhu Su
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Correspondence to Jilin Yan.

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Su, Z., Wang, X., Luo, M. et al. Fluorometric determination of nitrite through its catalytic effect on the oxidation of iodide and subsequent etching of gold nanoclusters by free iodine. Microchim Acta 186, 619 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3729-6

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