Fluorescence sensing systems for gold and silver species

Besides the noble physical appearance of gold and silver, their novel chemical properties attracted the modern technology for various industrial, chemical and biological uses including medical applications. The widespread use of gold and silver, however, can cause potential hazards to our environment. Therefore, suitable detection methods are a prerequisite for the evaluation of their harmful effects as well as for studying their beneficial biological properties. Due to the several advantages over the conventional analytical methods, the fluorescence detection of gold and silver has become an active research area in recent years. In this review, we provide an overview of the reported fluorescent detection systems for gold and silver species, and discuss their sensing properties with promising features. The future scope of developments in this field of research is also mentioned.