Fluorimetric determination of hemoglobin using spiro form rhodamine B hydrazide in a micellar medium

A novel fluorimetric method for the determination of hemoglobin (Hb) using spiro form rhodamine B hydrazide (RBH) as fluorogenic reagent in the presence of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) surfactant micelles is described. The method employs the reaction of Hb with RBH, a colorless, non-fluorescent spirolactam hydrazide in SDBS micelles to generate highly fluorescent product rhodamine B and hence leads to a large increase in fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence increase is linearly related to the concentration of Hb in the range 0.2–12.0 nmol l−1 with a detection limit of 0.086 nmol l−1 (3σ). The optimal conditions for the detection of Hb are evaluated and the possible detection mechanism is also discussed. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of Hb in human blood.