Sensitive fluorescent assay for copper (II) determination in aqueous solution using copper-specific ssDNA and Sybr Green I.

This paper reports a fluorescent turn-off assay for sensitive detection of Cu(2+) in an aqueous solution by using a copper-specific ssDNA Cu100 and Sybr Green I. By monitoring the fluorescence changes arose from different interactions of Sybr Green I with Cu100 and Cu100/Cu(2+) complex, the Cu(2+) could be linearly detected from 5.57 to 250 ppb, with a detection limit of 5.57 ppb. The feasibility of this assay was demonstrated by detecting Cu(2+) in certified reference materials and spiked water samples with satisfactory results.