Mix‐‐Read Determination of Mercury(II) at Trace Levels with Hybrid Mesoporous Silica Materials Incorporating Fluorescent Probes by a Simple Mix‐‐Load Technique

摘要

The synthesis, characterization, and application of mesoporous materials containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties that allow the sensitive and selective detection of Hg^II in aqueous environments by fluorescence enhancement is reported. For this purpose, BODIPY dye >I containing a thia‐aza crown ether receptor as the fluorescent probe for the detection of Hg^II in aqueous environments is encapsulated into mesoporous materials to avoid self‐quenching or aggregation in water. Determination of Hg^II is accomplished within a few seconds with high selectivity and sensitivity, reaching a limit of detection of 12 ppt. The determination of trace amounts of Hg^II in natural waters and in fish extracts is demonstrated by using our sensing material. The incorporation of the material into several μ‐PAD strips yields a portable, cheap, quick, and easy‐to‐handle tool for trace Hg^II analysis in water.