Abstract
Chemsensors have been playing a crucial role in various aspects of biomedical science, analytical and environmental chemistry. The toxic metal ions like Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb and Hg have increased gradually but now have reached an alarming situation, crossing the threshold value. Due to high toxicity of these heavy metals there is an obvious need for a sensor system to detect their presence. Chemsensors including surface acoustic wave sensors, enzymes, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, and chromophore-based sensors have attracted increasing attention over the last few years. Chemsensors prove very promising as the system is rapid, selective, sensible, low-cost, easy-to-use, and has the ability to provide real-time signals. However, recently, considerable effort has been devoted to the synthesis of sterically encumbered selenium containing species reported to display strong affinities with Hg2+ or Ag2+. This chapter reviews the basic principles involved in the design of chemsensors, their variety and applications in various established and emerging fields.