A fluorescent chemical sensor for Hg(II) based on a corrole derivative in a PVC matrix

A fluorescent chemical sensor for Hg(II) using 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (H3(tpfc)) as fluorophore is described in this paper. The response of the sensor is based on the fluorescence quenching of H3(tpfc) by coordination with Hg(II). H3(tpfc) based sensor shows a linear response towards Hg(II) in the concentration range from 1.2 × 10−7 to 1.0 × 10−4 M, with a working pH range from 5.0 to 8.0. The response time for Hg(II) concentration ≤1.0 × 10−5 M is less than 5 min. The sensor shows good selectivity for Hg(II) over alkali, and alkaline earth, and most of transition metal cations. The effect of the composition of the sensor membrane has been studied and the experimental conditions optimized. The corrole based sensor membrane can be easily regenerated just by washing with blank buffer solution after each measurement. The sensor has been used for determination of Hg(II) in water samples with satisfactory results.