Novel Amperometric Mercury-Selective Sensor Based on Organic Chelator Ionophore

Overview

This paper from the University of Coimbra and National Research Centre (Egypt) describes a novel amperometric electrochemical sensor for mercury ion (Hg2+) detection. The sensor uses an organic chelator ionophore (N,N-di(2-hydroxy-5-[(4-nitrophenyl)diazenyl]benzaldehyde)benzene-1,2-diamine, NDBD) combined with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode. The sensor achieves a linear response for Hg2+ in the range of 1 to 25 µM with a detection limit of 60 nM, and demonstrates excellent selectivity towards Hg2+ over other heavy metal ions. The method was validated in both water and milk sample matrices.

Note: the triage manifest assigned this paper a year of 1972, which is incorrect; the paper was published in Molecules 2023 (DOI confirmed from text).

Key numbers

• LOD: 60 nM Hg2+ (approximately 12 µg/L)
• Linear range: 1 to 25 µM
• Selectivity: excellent over interfering heavy metal ions (tested Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Fe3+, Mg2+, Ca2+)
• Applied to: milk samples and water samples (validation; no quantitative contamination data reported)

Methods (brief)

Amperometric sensor using NDBD organic chelator ionophore and MWCNT on glassy carbon electrode. Parameters optimized: ionophore concentration, applied potential, electrolyte pH. Applied potential determines selectivity between mercury and other metals. Detection in aqueous solution.

Implications

Certification: Not applicable for threshold setting; no food contamination concentration data. Courses: Relevant to electrochemical sensor module; illustrates ionophore-based selectivity approach for Hg2+ in food matrices. App: Not applicable (no food concentration data).

Wiki pages updated on ingest

• mercury-detection-methods

Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.