A Sensitive and Selective Fluorescence Sensor for the Detection of Arsenic(III) in Organic Media

Arsenic contamination is a leading environmental problem.
As such,
levels of this toxic metalloid must be constantly monitored by reliable
and low-cost methodologies. Because the currently accepted upper limit
for arsenic in water is 10 ppb, very sensitive and selective detection
strategies must be developed. Herein we describe the synthesis and
characterization of a fluorescent chemical probe, namely, ArsenoFluor1,
which is the first example of a chemosensor for As3+ detection
in organic solvents at 298 K. AF1 exhibits a 25-fold fluorescence
increase in the presence of As3+ at λem = 496 nm in THF, which is selective for As3+ over other
biologically relevant ions (such as Na+, Mg2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+) and displays a sub-ppb detection
limit.