Schiff Base-Derived Colorimetric Chemosensor for Fe3+ Detection: Synthesis, Mechanistic Insights, and Real-World Applications in Water Quality Monitoring.

Key Points

• The aim is to develop a chemosensor for the selective detection of Fe3+ ions in water quality monitoring.
• Synthesis of a Schiff base colorimetric chemosensor (H2L) from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and anthranilic acid.
• Evaluating the sensor's response to Fe3+ in a DMF:H2O medium through UV-Vis spectroscopy.
• Determining binding stoichiometry and association constant using Job's plot.
• Validating applicability with spike-recovery analysis in real water samples.
• Creating a paper-strip assay for rapid on-site detection using smartphone image analysis.
• H2L exhibited a visible color change from yellow to black upon Fe3+ detection.
• The sensor had a low detection limit of 3.71 μM for Fe3+ ions, with a binding constant of 2.87 × 10^4 M^-1.
• Spike-recovery analysis showed recoveries between 91.04% and 100.94% in real water samples.
• The paper-strip assay achieved a limit of detection of 50.7 μM.