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Quantifying Hypochlorous Acid Concentration in Environmental Water Using Smartphone Colorimetry

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Abstract

In this study, we developed an effective method to detect hypochlorite acid (HClO) by using methylene blue (MB) derivative (BPY1). BPY1 was selectively oxidized through HClO, and the solution color changed from colorless to blue. In the presence of HClO, the ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectra and concentration of HClO had a linear relationship with a detection limit of 0.5 μM. Furthermore, a test paper for HClO monitoring was successfully prepared using the BPY1 probe, and the observed detection limit by the naked eye was estimated at 5 μM. Additionally, using the BPY1 probe, HClO could also be detected through smartphone colorimetry, and the method showed a good recovery ranging from 98.7 to 104.0% for HClO detection in an actual water sample. Especially for developing countries, such a low-cost and highly sensitive detection method provides a simple and practical method for monitoring HClO in water.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U1404215, 22074089, 21804085, 21675109), Innovation Scientists and Technicians Troop Construction Projects of Henan Province (No: 41) and Key Scientific Research Projects of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province (No: 21A150043) for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an, 710055, China

    Shuai He, Guoqing Xiao & Maotian Xu

  2. Henan Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Recognition and Sensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Early Diagnosis of Major Diseases, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, 476000, China

    Hui Dong, Yuanqiang Hao, Yintang Zhang, Yanli Zhou, Fangyuan Zhang, Jie Li, Yingying Jia & Maotian Xu

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  1. Shuai He
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  2. Hui Dong
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Correspondence to Hui Dong, Guoqing Xiao or Maotian Xu.

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He, S., Dong, H., Hao, Y. et al. Quantifying Hypochlorous Acid Concentration in Environmental Water Using Smartphone Colorimetry. J. Anal. Test. 5, 360–369 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41664-021-00156-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41664-021-00156-1

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