P1.3.5 Europium(III) ion detection in water by a new luminescent optical fibre sensor

A new europium(III) luminescent optical fibre sensor based on a tridentate bis(phosphinic amide)phosphine oxide PhPO(C 6 H 4 POPhN(CH(CH 3 ) 2 ) 2 ) 2 is described.The ligand was successfully immobilized on PVC membrane on optical fibre by dip coating technique.The reaction between europium(III) ion and ligand produced a strong luminescent complex of stoichiometry [1:2], which possessed a maximum emission peak at 612 nm.The sensor luminescence response showed an exponential behavior versus logarithmic concentration of europium(III) ions (10 -8 -10 -3 M) in aqueous solution with a correlation factor of R 2 = 0.9918, and an acceptable response time (t 90 -t 10 ) of 92 seconds.This optode is the first luminescent optical fibre sensor for detecting europium(III) ions in water.