A Turn-on Fluorescent Chemodosimeter for Uranyl Ions Based on Uranyl-promoted Hydrolysis Reaction

Abstract We demonstrate here a novel reaction-based chemodosimeter 2-[(4'-triphenylvinyl-biphenyl-4-ylimino)-methyl]-phenol (TPE-SA) for effective UO22+ recognition. TPE-SA responds to UO22+ with dramatical fluorescence enhancement and blue-shift, readily perceived even by the naked eye. Specifically, the fluorescence intensity at 500 nm is linearly correlated with the concentration of UO22+ ranging from 2.5×10-8 to 3.5×10-7 M, and the detection limit (LOD) is 1.1×10-8 M. Besides, TPE-SA has high selectivity toward UO22+ compared with other interferential metals. The fluorescent response of TPE-SA to UO22+ is attributed to the hydrolysis of TPE-SA promoted by UO22+, and the hydrolysis product results in fluorescence enhancement. Our results suggest that TPE-SA can be potentially applied to rapid detection of uranyl ions in aqueous solution.