Development of a new near-infrared, spectrophotometric, and colorimetric probe based on phthalocyanine containing mercaptoquinoline unit for discriminative and highly sensitive detection of Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions.

A new near-infrared, spectrophotometric, and colorimetric probe based on a phthalocyanine-containing mercaptoquinoline unit (MQZnPc) has been constructed and utilized for discriminative and highly selective/sensitive detection of Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions by using proper masking agents like EDTA, KI, and NaCl. The probe only responds to Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ among the tested ions without any interference. The probe performs quite well (the limit of detection: 160 ppb, 148 ppb, and 276 ppb of Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ions for UV-Vis, and 15 ppb, 37 ppb, and 467 ppb of Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions for fluorescence, respectively), and has a fast response time (150 sec, 90 sec, and 90 sec of Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ions for UV-Vis, and 300 sec, 240 sec, and 90 sec Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ions for fluorescence, respectively). The probe also displays a colorimetric feature for UV-Vis and smartphone applications. Based on a single probe, Ag+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions which are the main toxic water contaminants could be recognized very quickly and colorimetrically with high recovery values in tap water samples. This study stands out with its unique properties compared to the related studies in the literature.