Removal of mercury and lead ions from water using bioinspired N3Se3 type small sized moieties

Abstract

Mercury and lead toxicity in water has serious repercussions on human health. There is an urgent need to develop effective and efficient small moieties for their removal. The convenient one-pot synthesis of a few N₃Se₃ type small sized moieties is reported herein. The highest metal ion uptake capacity of Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions was found to be 314.3 mg g⁻¹ and 93.5 mg g⁻¹, respectively, by ICP-MS analysis. These ion uptake values are the highest for small sized moieties known in the literature to date.