Heavy metals are not only toxic but are also persistent in environmental systems. Though, they are found naturally in the environment, their concentrations have been increased due to their use in various sectors such as industrial, agricultural, medical and etc; a major cause for concern. Mercury, a well-known and high toxic heavy metal, has the ability to undergo methylation, resulting in the formation of methyl mercury[CH3-Hg]+ in which mercury has a formal charge of Hg2+. In this form mercury can accumulate in muscle and fatty tissues of fish and increase as the fish increases in size; a process known as biomagnification. It also bioaccumulates in the food chain by other processes and cause various illnesses such as loss of peripheral vision and muscle weakness.
Due to the hazardous nature of mercury, significant research efforts have dedicated to the development of analytical methods, allowing easy detect of mercury in environmental systems, some of which are highly laborious. Hence, the aim of my project is to synthesize a compounds which are able to complex with Hg2+ and in so doing, exhibit chemogenic and /or fluorogenic properties with a high level of selectivity and sensitivity, thereby allowing fast and relatively easy determination of mercury concentration in diverse matrixes.
Heavy metals are not only toxic but are also persistent in environmental systems. Though, they are found naturally in the environment, their concentrations have been increased due to their use in various sectors such as industrial, agricultural, medical and etc; a major cause for concern. Mercury, a well-known and high toxic heavy metal, has the ability to undergo methylation, resulting in the formation of methyl mercury[CH3-Hg]+ in which mercury has a formal charge of Hg2+. In this form mercury can accumulate in muscle and fatty tissues of fish and increase as the fish increases in size; a process known as biomagnification. It also bioaccumulates in the food chain by other processes and cause various illnesses such as loss of peripheral vision and muscle weakness.
Due to the hazardous nature of mercury, significant research efforts have dedicated to the development of analytical methods, allowing easy detect of mercury in environmental systems, some of which are highly laborious. Hence, the aim of my project is to synthesize a compounds which are able to complex with Hg2+ and in so doing, exhibit chemogenic and /or fluorogenic properties with a high level of selectivity and sensitivity, thereby allowing fast and relatively easy determination of mercury concentration in diverse matrixes.