A novel colorimetric and fluorescent probe for detecting fluoride anions: from water and toothpaste samples

Based on 8-hydroxyquinoline, a 1,8-naphthalimide-derived colorimetric and fluorescent probe was synthesized for naked-eye and fluorescent recognition of F− (from both tetrabutylammonium fluoride and NaF) with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity. The probe can be employed to detect F− quantitatively within certain concentration range, and the detection limit could be as low as 1.8 μM for tetrabutylammonium fluoride and 9 μM for NaF. With this probe, the tests for fluorine contents in tap water, water sample from Eyebrow Lake and several brands of toothpastes were successfully performed.

Graphical abstractDownload full-size imageBased on 8-hydroxyquinoline, a 1,8-naphthalimide-derived probe was synthesized for F− (from tetrabutylammonium fluoride and NaF) naked-eye and fluorescent recognition with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity, the detection limit could be as low as 1.8 μM for tetrabutylammonium fluoride and 9 μM for NaF.