RESUMO
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) forms a red-colored Meisenheimer complex with 3-aminopropyltrenthoxysilane (APTES) both in solution and on solid phase. The TNT-APTES complex is unique since it forms yellow-colored complexes with 2,4,6-trinitrophenol and 4-nitrophenol, and no complex with 2,4-dinitrotoluene. The absorption spectrum of TNT-APTES has two absorption bands at 530 and 650 nm, while APTES complexes with 2,4,6-trinitrophenol and 4-nitrophenol have absorption maxima at around 420 nm, and no absorption change for 2,4-dinitrotoluene. The TNT-APTES complex facilitates the exchange of the TNT-CH3 proton/deuteron with solvent molecules. The red color of TNT-APTES is immediately visible at 1 µM of TNT.
RESUMO
Hyper Rayleigh Scattering (HRS) and absorption spectral assays using surface-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNP) have been developed for sensitive and selective detection of trivalent chromium (Cr3+) from other metal ions including hexavalent chromium (as Cr2O72-). Gold nanoparticles of 13 nm, covalently attached with 5,5'-dithio-bis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (AuNP-DTNBA), is used as a probe for both the absorption and HRS assays. AuNP-DTNBA is able to detect Cr3+ at 20 ppb level at pH 6.0 using absorption spectral change of the AuNP-DTNBA. Visible color change can be observed when mixed with 250 ppb of Cr3+, while there is no color change when mixed with 2 ppm level of some of the most common metal ions such as Cr2O72-, Hg2+, Ba2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Na+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, and Ni2+. However, a color change is observed when mixed with Ni2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ at a concentration higher than 2 ppm. The detection limit for the HRS assay is on a remarkable 25 ppt level, and there is no detectable HRS signal at 2 ppm level for Cr2O72-, Hg2+, Ba2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Na+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, and Ni2+.
