Resumen de Enhanced Luminescence of Lanthanides:: Determination of Europium by Enhanced Luminescence
Amanda L. Jenkins, George M. Murray
An experiment has been developed to teach the principles of molecular luminescence spectroscopy. This laboratory experiment is designed for upper-level undergraduates as a less toxic alternative to current fluorescence experiments. It combines elements of physical and inorganic as well as analytical chemistry. The experiment can be performed on a variety of rudimentary fluorescence instrumentation and still give good analytical figures of merit. The object of the experiment is to measure the luminescent enhancement that is achieved when a lanthanide such as Eu(III) or Tb(III) is complexed with appropriate organic ligands, in this case 2,6 pyridinedicarboxylic acid. The importance of pH on metal ion coordination is also explored via luminescence intensity. This approach provides several advantages over current luminescence experiments. These advantages include limited toxicity and flammability of the chemicals involved, a large luminescence linear dynamic range, and low detection limits (parts per trillion). These low detection limits, achieved using modest equipment, allow the determination of the europium concentration in a variety of samples, such as tap water. The narrow lanthanide luminescent bands also permit incorporation of qualitative analysis of a mixture of lanthanides.
