Determination of norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin by carbon dots fluorescence enhancement using magnetic nanoparticles as adsorbent

The authors describe a method for the determination of norfloxacin (NOR) or ciprofloxacin (CIP). It is making use of a combination of fluorescence enhancement and magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE). Sulfur-doped carbon dots (S-CDs) are used as a fluorescent probe. They were prepared by a one-pot method using poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSMA) as a source for carbon and sulfur. NOR or CIP act as sensitizers of fluorescence (with excitation/emission maxima at 324/412 nm), probably due to strong hydrogen bond interaction and charge transfer with the S-CDs. The S-CDs were characterized by using TEM, XRD, XPS, FT-IR, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. Response is linear in the 0.02–1.25 μM NOR concentration range, and the detection limit is 4.6 nM. The respective data for CIP are 0.02–1.0 μM and 6.7 nM. The average recoveries of NOR and CIP residues from spiked bovine raw milk are 96.2%~105.2% and 92.3%~102.5%.