Spectrafluorimetric method for the rapid screening of toxic heavy metals in water samples Original Research Article

A fast and inexpensive sensitive screening test for recognising potential wastewater contamination by the presence of highly toxic heavy metals is described. The test is based on the reaction of the toxic heavy metals Hg(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Ag(I) with 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) to produce highly fluorescent complexes. Optimum experimental conditions include a buffer of pH 7.2 (0.1 M citric acid/0.2 M Na2HPO4), a chelating reagent concentration of 6×10−4 M and the addition of 10−4 M of o-phenanthroline. The fluorescence emitted by the complexes was measured at 380 and 540 nm for excitation and emission wavelengths, respectively. Detection limits of 4, 3, 6 and 3 μg l−1 were achieved for Hg, Cd, Pb and Ag. Relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) were between ±2 and ±6% of the fluorescence signals for five identical samples. Potential interference effects from other heavy metals (Zn, Mn, Co, Fe, Ni and Cu), which could affect the response of the proposed screening test was investigated. Results showed that none of these metals give rise to noticeable fluorescence signals under the above described experimental conditions. Finally, the capability of the proposed heavy metal screening test for the analysis of contaminated water samples is discussed.