Optical sensors for the detection of trace chloroform.

Optical thin film sensors have been developed to detect chloroform in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. These sensors utilize a modified Fujiwara reaction, one of the only known methods for detecting halogenated hydrocarbons in the visible spectrum. The modified Fujiwara reagents, 2,2'-dipyridyl and tetra-n-butyl ammonium hydroxide (n-Bu4NOH or TBAH), are encapsulated in an ethyl cellulose (EC) or sol-gel film. Upon exposure of the EC sensor film to HCCl3 in petroleum ether, a colored product is produced within the film, which is analyzed spectroscopically, yielding a detection limit of 0.830 ppm (parts per million v/v or μL/L hereinafter) and a quantification limit of 2.77 ppm. When the chloroform concentration in pentane is ≥5 ppm, the color change of the EC sensor is visible to the naked eye. In aqueous chloroform solution, reaction in the sol-gel sensor film turns the sensor from colorless to dark yellow/brown, also visible to the naked eye, with a detection limit of 500 ppm. This is well below the solubility of chloroform in water (ca. 5,800 ppm). To our knowledge, these are the first optical quality thin film sensors using Fujiwara reactions for halogenated hydrocarbon detection.