Featured Image

Why is it important?

Cyanide is widely used but highly toxic. Simple optical methods of detection can readily monitor the presence of cyanide in water. The dyes from the porpholactone class are sensitive, very robust, and freely water-soluble. The sensor molecular was also incorporated into a membrane that allows the assembly of a remote probe to measure the presence of cyanide.

Perspectives

This publication is one in a string of papers that describe the utility of the class of porphyrinoids, the porpholactones. These molecules are special because they carry a reactive functionality–a lactone functionality–on the outside of the chromophore. Thus, this functionality that is part of the chromophore, is in direct contact with its environment, and any changes to the functionality are directly reflected in intense color changes. Regular porphyrins do not possess this functionality and therefore the corresponding sensing abilities.

Christian Brückner
University of Connecticut System

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: High pH sensing with water-soluble porpholactone derivatives and their incorporation into a Nafion® optode membrane, The Analyst, January 2015, Royal Society of Chemistry,
DOI: 10.1039/c4an01462f.
You can read the full text:

Read

Contributors

The following have contributed to this page