Scientists from the US and South Korea have developed a probe that can detect the highly toxic chemical hydrazine in a variety of different environments, including living cells.
Hydrazine plays an important role in a number of industrial processes. It’s used in pesticides, in nuclear and conventional electric power plants to reduce corrosion, and as a gas-forming agent in air bags. It’s even found in rocket fuel.
Although contact with small amounts of hydrazine is unlikely to cause harm, long term exposure can damage the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Hydrazine has also been classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable carcinogen.
Accidental leakage of hydrazine into the environment is rare and as hydrazine breaks down rapidly in oxygen, finding high levels of hydrazine in the environment is unlikely. However, hydrazine exposure in the workplace can be a real danger for individuals who come into contact with it. This makes the development of hydrazine sensors an important area of research.
The probe reacts with hydrazine to make a five-membered ring, resulting in a fluorescent response and a visible colour change
Read the full article in Chemistry World»
Read the original journal article in ChemComm:
Naphthalimide trifluoroacetyl acetonate: a hydrazine-selective chemodosimetric sensor
Min Hee Lee, Byungkwon Yoon, Jong Seung Kim and Jonathan L. Sessler
Chem. Sci., 2013, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3SC51813B
