Highly efficient detection of fluoride in <i>Artemisia argyi</i> using silole-based electrochemiluminescence analysis

The content of fluoride has a vital impact on the performance of the traditional Chinese medicine <i>Artemisia argyi</i>, and hence, developing efficient fluoride detection methods is crucial. In this work, we designed and prepared a spirosilole SBS with a typical rigid structure. Calculations and experiments fully disclosed that the rigid structure could remarkably boost its ECL signal in a homogeneous organic solution. On the basis of the special coordination interaction between fluoride and silicon atoms in SBS, an ultrasensitive detection of fluoride (LOD = 3.27 μM) in <i>Artemisia argyi</i> was realized using the developed SBS-based ECL analysis. This work fully demonstrates the enormous potential of ECL analysis in the field of fluoride detection for traditional Chinese medicine.