Enhancement of uranyl fluorescence using trimesic acid: Ligand sensitization and co-fluorescence

Trimesic acid (TMA) was shown to sensitize and enhance uranyl fluorescence in aqueous medium, with the enhancement being a maximum at pH 5.0. Fluorescence spectra and lifetime data together suggest that TMA complexes with uranyl image. The fluorescence of image in its acid complex is further enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude following the addition of Y3+; a process referred to as co-fluorescence, leading to the possibility of detecting uranium at sub ng/mL level. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, fluorescence enhancement of the uranyl species due to co-fluorescence.