Visual detection of trace lead ion based on aptamer and silver staining nano-metal composite

Abstract In this paper, visual detection of trace lead ion was established by aptamer and silver staining. The basic strategy was that aminated PS2.M aptamer was immobilized onto slide and formed stable G-quadruplex structure. PbS was generated by adding S 2− , and it catalyzed subsequent silver staining reaction, through the silver staining amplification effect, the slide presented visible ash black. The gray value of slide after silver staining was analyzed and the semi-quantitative detection of Pb 2+ in solution was realized. The results showed that optical darkness ratio (ODR) and logarithmic value of Pb 2+ concentration had a good linear relationship (R 2  = 0.951) over the range of 0.5–10 μM. In addition, there was no obvious interference of other common metal ions for the detection, indicating that this method presented outstanding selectivity. And it was also used for qualitative and semi-quantitative determination of Pb 2+ in soil sample successfully.