Colorimetric sensing of mercury in aqueous solutions using silver nanoparticles prepared from synadenium glaucescens root aqueous extract
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Date
2023-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Mercury contamination from various anthropogenic activities has been a recent global
problem. Thus, developing cheap and efficient techniques for sensing mercury is significant for
protecting humans and other organisms. The sensing of mercury using silver nanoparticles fabricated
using phytochemicals extracted from Synadenium glaucescens roots (SYR) is reported. The successful
synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SYR-AgNPs) was confirmed by a strong plasmon resonance in the
UV-Vis spectrum at 420 nm due to oscillations of electrons in the silver nanoparticles. The potential
use of fabricated silver nanoparticles for the sensing of mercury ions from aqueous solutions was
investigated. The prepared silver nanoparticles displayed a high selectivity for detecting mercury
against other divalent metal ions (Hg2+ , Ba2+ , Ca2+ , Co2+ , Cu2+ , Fe2+ , Mg2+ , Ni2+ , and Pb2+ ). The
addition of mercury changed the SYR-AgNPs’ color to colorless, and the observed change in color
was proportional to mercury concentration. The application of silver nanoparticles for the sensing of
mercury displayed a detection limit of 11.3 µM. Therefore, the findings in the current study indicate
that the prepared SYR-AgNPs can serve as a potentially sensitive and selective readily available
method for sensing mercury ions in environmental samples. The method can be useful in advancing
the application of green technology for sensing heavy metals from environmental samples.
Description
Proceeding Paper
Keywords
silver nanoparticles, Synadenium glaucescens, Plasmon Surface Resonance, mercury sensing