A novel selenium nanoparticles-enhanced chemiluminescence system for determination of dinitrobutylphenol

A novel selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs)-amplified chemiluminescence (CL) reaction, Se NPs–potassium permanganate–dinitrobutylphenol (DNBP), for the determination of DNBP at gram per milliliter level is described. In the present study, it was found that direct reaction of DNBP with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) in the acidic mediums elicited light emission, which was greatly enhanced by selenium nanoparticles. Under optimum conditions, the CL intensity is linearly related to the concentration of DNBP in the range of 1.0×10−7–8.0×10−5 g mL−1 with a detection limit (3σ) of 3.1×10−8 g mL−1. The relative standard deviation for 11 determinations of 2.5×10−5 g mL−1 DNBP is 2.07%. The Se NPs were prepared by the chemical hydrothermal method. It was found that catalytic properties of Se NPs were higher than those of microparticles (MPs). In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the Se NPs. Appropriate sensitivity, selectivity and precision were among notable features of the proposed method. The method was successfully applied to the determination of DNBP in the water samples of different origins. Moreover, the possible mechanism for the new CL reaction was also discussed.