Lanthanide complexes as luminogenic probes to measure sulfide levels in industrial samples

• Lanthanide–azide based sulfide sensors were synthesized and characterized.
• The probes have excitation and emission profiles compatible with sulfide-contaminated samples from the petrochemical industry.
• A terbium-based probe was used to measure the sulfide concentration in oil refinery wastewater.
• A europium-based probe had compatibility with partially refined crude oil samples.

A series of lanthanide-based, azide-appended complexes were investigated as hydrogen sulfide-sensitive probes. Europium complex 1 and Tb complex 3 both displayed a sulfide-dependent increase in luminescence, while Tb complex 2 displayed a decrease in luminescence upon exposure to NaHS. The utility of the complexes for monitoring sulfide levels in industrial oil and water samples was investigated. Complex 3 provided a sensitive measure of sulfide levels in petrochemical water samples (detection limit ∼ 250 nM), while complex 1 was capable of monitoring μM levels of sulfide in partially refined crude oil.

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