A fluorescent probe for a lewisite simulant

Abstract

Herein, we report for the first time a highly sensitive fluorescent probe for the detection of an organoarsenic blister agent simulant, arsenic trichloride (AsCl₃). This probe showed high selectivity to AsCl₃, in the presence of other metal ions, even at low concentrations. Moreover, quantitative determination of AsCl₃ in soil was achieved with a detection limit of 61.2 μmol kg⁻¹ that is sufficiently lower than the reported LD₅₀ of lewisite.