A novel berberine-based colorimetric and fluorimetric probe for hydrazine detection

Hydrazine in water and soil has caused a serious disease threatening human health. It is critical to develop a simple and effective method for hydrazine detection. In this work, a simple fluorescent probe (BP) for hydrazine detection was synthesized from berberine. The probe has short synthesis route (2 steps), low detection limit (1.37 μM), excellent fluorescence properties and convenient naked-eye detection. In addition, BP displayed excellent selectivity and specificity over other metal ions, anions and amines. Moreover, BP was also successfully used to detect hydrazine gas at different concentrations.