Meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid: from heavy metal chelation to CdS quantum dots

Abstract

DMSA (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) a prescription drug and a heavy-metal chelating agent, is shown to act both as a sulfur source and a capping agent in the aqueous synthesis of CdS quantum dots under mild conditions. Release of sulfur from DMSA depends on the solution pH and the reaction temperature. Combination of 70 °C and pH 7.5 was determined as the best reaction conditions for a well-controlled reaction. Changing the SH/Cd ratio from 2.5 to 7 provides QDs emitting from blue to orange with 6–9% quantum yield with respect to Rhodamine 2B. Viability tests performed with HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines indicate a very low cytotoxicity. Mild reaction conditions and biocompatibility makes these particles valuable candidates for bio applications.