Silver nanoparticles enhanced a novel TCPO–H2O2–safranin O chemiluminescence system for determination of 6-mercaptopurine

•Safranin O has been introduced as the novel fluorophore for POCL.•This method was applied successfully to determine 6-mercaptopurine in pharmaceuticals.•Silver nanoparticles has been used as efficient catalyst.

The present study deals with first attempt to introduce safranin O as the fluorophore for peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence system. The reaction of bis-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate (TCPO) with H2O2 catalyzed by silver nanoparticles can transfer energy to safranin O via the formation of dioxetanedione intermediate and emits orange-red light. The relationship between CL intensity and the concentration of TCPO, fluorophore, hydrogen peroxide and nanocatalyst was investigated. The Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction method and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, particle size analyzer and UV-spectroscopy. Moreover, the system was applied successfully to detect a drug, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in pharmaceuticals. Under optimum conditions, a linear working range for 6-MP concentrations from 5.5 × 10−7 to 5.5 × 10−5 mol L−1 (r > 0.9831, n = 6) was obtained with a detection limit of 1.6 × 10−7 mol L−1. The relative standard deviation for 6 repetitive determinations was less than 3.8% and recoveries of 98% and 103% were obtained.

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