A simple and sensitive fluorescence method for the determination of trace ozone in air using acridine red as a probe.

The ozone in an air sample was trapped by H3 BO3 -LK solution to produce iodine (I2) that interacted with excess I(-) to form I3(-). In pH 4.0 acetate buffer solutions, the I3(-) reacted with acridine red to form acridine red-I3 ion association particles that resulted in the fluorescence peak decreased at 553 nm. The decreased value ΔF553 nm is linear to the O3 concentration in the range 0.08-53.3 × 10(-6) mol/L, with a detection limit of 4 × 10(-8) mol/L. This fluorescence method was used to determine ozone in air samples, and the results were in agreement with that of indigo carmine spectrophotometry.