The Effects of Salts on the Room-Temperature Fluorescence and Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of Tetrols on Filter Paper and Filter Paper with Silicone

Several salts were investigated to enhance the room-temperature solid-matrix phosphorescence of the four stereoisomeric tetrols on filter paper. Thallium acetate was found to enhance the phosphorescence to the greatest extent, but it was necessary to prepare the thallium acetate in an acetic acid solution to achieve the maximum phosphorescence from the solid matrix. Also, thallium acetate essentially quenched the solid-matrix fluorescence of the tetrols. Without thallium acetate adsorbed on filter paper, strong room-temperature fluorescence signals were observed from the tetrols adsorbed on filter paper. With a new solid matrix, filter paper which contained silicone, no heavy-atom was needed to obtain strong phosphorescence from the adsorbed tetrols. In fact, the room-temperature fluorescence from the tetrols adsorbed on this type of filter paper was very strong. The room-temperature fluorescence gave a limit of detection in the sub-picogram range for one of the tetrols with the silicone treated filter paper.