Detection of glyphosate with a copper(ii)-pyrocatechol violet based GlyPKit

This paper describes the development of a test kit for the selective detection of glyphosate (GlyP). A copper(ii)-pyrocatechol violet complex was selected by a screening approach from a pool of 96 combinations of metal ions and commercially available indicators and subsequently incorporated as a detection zone into a hydrophobic C18 solid support. With this kit, detection of 20 μM GlyP in tap water by the “naked eye” is possible and quantifications by smartphone analysis with a limit of detection as low as 2.66 μM (450 μg L(−1)) have been demonstrated in a proof-of-principle study.