23 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Azulene is a bicyclic aromatic chromophore that absorbs in the visible region. Its absorption maximum undergoes a hypsochromic shift if a conjugated electron-withdrawing group is introduced at the C1 position. This fact can be exploited in the design of a colorimetric chemodosimeter that functions by the transformation of a dithioacetal to the corresponding aldehyde upon exposure to Hg2+ ions. This chemodosimeter exhibits good chemoselectivity over other metal cations, and responds with an unambiguous colour change clearly visible to the naked eye. Its synthesis is concise and its ease of use makes it appropriate in resource-constrained environments, for example in determing mercury content of drinking water sources in the developing world.


This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 665992 

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6262-6269
Number of pages8
JournalThe Analyst
Volume145
Issue number19
Early online date14 Sept 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Sept 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Spectroscopy
  • Electrochemistry

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