Heavy Atom Induced Room Temperature Phosphorescence Method for the Determination of the Plant Growth Regulator β-Naphthoxyacetic Acid

A simple, selective, and sensitive heavy atom induced room temperature phosphorimetric method (HAI-RTP) is described for the determination of the plant growth regulator β-naphthoxyacetic acid (NOA) in spiked apple samples. A careful selection of the different variables (heavy atom and sodium sulfite) to obtain the phosphorescence signal constitutes the basis of a HAI-RTP method for the determination of NOA. The analytical curve of NOA gives a linear dynamic range of 0−625 ng mL-1 and a detection limit of 30.5 ng mL-1. A recovery of 108.8% was obtained for 500 ng mL-1 NOA in spiked apple samples. Keywords: β-Naphthoxyacetic acid; heavy atom induced room temperature phosphorescence (HAI-RTP)