The aim of this work was to prepare a reliable, rapid and cheap method for the screening of zinc chelation. Spectrophotometric assessment using a known zinc indicator dithizone was selected.
Initial screening suggested 530 and 570 nm as suitable wavelengths for determination of zinc at pH 4.5 while 540 and 590 nm for pH 5.5-7.5. Additional research showed the lower wavelengths to be more suitable.
The sensitivity of the method was always bellow 1 microM with good linearity relationship between absorbance and zinc concentration. The method suitability was confirmed by use of two known zinc chelators, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-ethylenediamine (TPEN).