Metal ion templated chemosensor for metal ions based on fluorescence quenching

A metal ion templated resin, which was imprinted by methacrylic acid (MAA) moieties, has been prepared for the detection of metal ions in aqueous solutions. The resin consists of a 9-vinylcarbazole monomer component as a fluorescent chromophore and MAA as an adsorber of divalent metal ions. After resin was obtained, the template ions, Pb2+, bonded to the resin via the carboxylic acid groups were removed from resin by washing with hydrochloric acid. The final resin was used to determine the concentration of the metal ions in the range of 10−6–10−2 M in aqueous solutions by monitoring the fluorescence intensity of the carbozole groups quenched upon the complex formation with the metal ions diffused into the resin.