Sensitive fluorescent determination of uranyl ions using a terbium (III) 4-sulfocalix[4]arene probe

Uranium, regarded as an important element in nuclear fission energy schemes, is harmful to public health owing to its high toxicity and radioactivity. Herein, a novel fluorescent probe (SC4A@Tb3+) was developed using a one-step liquid-phase method with 4-sulfocalix[4]arene (SC4A) and rare earth-metal ions (Tb3+) as precursors to realize the accurate monitoring of uranyl ion (UO22+) detection. Based on the dynamic quenching mechanism, the SC4A@Tb3+ fluorescence quenching sensor for UO22+ detection was in the linear range of 0-0.36 mu M, with a detection limit of 20 mu g center dot L-1, and successfully quantified UO22+ in water and human serum samples. These results suggest that SC4A@Tb3+ is a potential sensing material for UO22+ detection.