Abstract:
Fluorescence quenching based immunoassay format for the detection of a trace amount of some nitroexplosives
with a high degree of selectivity is reported in this study. The immunoassay comprises antiexplosive
antibodies functionalized microtitre strips specific to the targeted explosives, pentaerythritol
tetranitrate (PETN), 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). UV
induced photolysis of nitro-explosive bound to targeted antibodies generates primarily nitrite ions which
after the quick reaction with the detector molecule, 2,3-diaminonaphthalene (DAN), a fluorophore,
quenches its fluorescence intensity, however, proportionately undergo cyclization to produce a highly
fluorescent product, 2,3-naphthotriazole (NAT). The synthesized product, NAT, was verified using various
chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques. This newly developed antibody-based detection
method, utilizing DAN dye, demonstrated a high selectivity towards PETN, RDX, and TNT. This method can be used as an economical testing kit for direct quantification of explosives, implying the great potential
for quick, low-cost trace detection of explosives.
