Investigation of 2-[(E)-2-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-1-ethenyl]-1,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indolium as a new highly sensitive reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of nitrophenols

A new, simple, rapid, and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of nitrophenols [picric acid (PA); dinitrophenols (DNP)] in wastewater samples. The method is based on the reaction of nitrophenols with 2-[(E)-2-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-1-ethenyl]-1,3,3-trimethyl-3 H-indolium chloride reagent to form the colored ion associates, which are extracted by organic solvents. The molar absorptivity of the ion associates of PA with the investigated reagent ranges from 8.3×10⁴ to 11.3×10⁴ L mol^–1 cm^–1, depending on the extractant. Because only PA is extracted in an acidic medium with the investigated reagent, but both PA and DNP are extracted in an alkaline medium, it is possible to determine both substances in a mixture. Appropriate reaction conditions have been established. The absorbance of the colored extracts obeys Beers law in the range of 0.04–4.58 mg L^–1 PA, 1.0–18.4 mg L^–1 2,4-DNP and 1.2–14.7 mg L^–1 2,6-DNP, respectively. The limit of detections, calculated from a blank test (n=10; P=0.95), are 0.05 mg L^–1 PA, 0.9 mg L^–1 (2,4-DNP), and 1.1 mg L^–1 (2,6-DNP), respectively.