A simple demonstration of the importance of purity in nanotechnology with the example of rapid syntheses of gold nanoparticles in water
- 1Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade da Coruña, Campus de Elviña, Coruña, Spain, 15008
Abstract
A simple and visual demonstration of the importance of purity and the impact of impurities in nanotechnology is described. Stable colloidal gold nanoparticles are simply obtained at room temperature in seconds, adding NaBH4 to HAuCl4 in water without the need for other chemicals. By adjusting the conductivity of the water used, for example by using high purity water, tap water or mixtures of the two in different ratios, the size and stability of the nanoparticles is easily tuned. Size control is easily assessed by the color of the colloids obtained and/or by UV-vis spectroscopy. This undergraduate level demonstration suitable for a wide audience requires only very simple equipment and can be broadly implemented to illustrate the importance of controlled conditions in nanotechnology, raise awareness on the impact of impurities, but also show how to leverage on negative results to turn a drawback into a benefit. Additionally, the concept and the experimental approach proposed integrate well in other pedagogical activities and are a solid foundation to link nanotechnology to other important topics in the education of the chemical sciences.
Related
- Surfactant-free alcohol-mediated colloidal syntheses of gold nanoparticles beyond aqueous media
- Straightforward Syntheses of Alloys and Core-Shell Nanoparticles: The Benefits of Surfactant-Free Alcohol-Mediated Strategies Illustrated with Au-Ag Nanomaterials.
- Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Prosopis farcta: a green nanotechnology approach for enhanced antimicrobial activity
- Enantioselective Total Syntheses of Bousigonine A and Bisleuconothine B
- Optimized Biomimetic Syntheses of Discorhabdin B and Aleutianamine Drives a Deeper Exploration of Their Anticancer Potential
BibTeX
@misc{soto2026simple,
title = {{A simple demonstration of the importance of purity in nanotechnology with the example of rapid syntheses of gold nanoparticles in water}},
author = {Javier Eiroa Soto and Jonathan Quinson},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008477/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008477/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A simple demonstration of the importance of purity in nanotechnology with the example of rapid syntheses of gold nanoparticles in water
AU - Javier Eiroa Soto
AU - Jonathan Quinson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008477/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008477/v1
AB - A simple and visual demonstration of the importance of purity and the impact of impurities in nanotechnology is described. Stable colloidal gold nanoparticles are simply obtained at room temperature in seconds, adding NaBH4 to HAuCl4 in water without the need for other chemicals. By adjusting the conductivity of the water used, for example by using high purity water, tap water or mixtures of the two in different ratios, the size and stability of the nanoparticles is easily tuned. Size control is easily assessed by the color of the colloids obtained and/or by UV-vis spectroscopy. This undergraduate level demonstration suitable for a wide audience requires only very simple equipment and can be broadly implemented to illustrate the importance of controlled conditions in nanotechnology, raise awareness on the impact of impurities, but also show how to leverage on negative results to turn a drawback into a benefit. Additionally, the concept and the experimental approach proposed integrate well in other pedagogical activities and are a solid foundation to link nanotechnology to other important topics in the education of the chemical sciences.
ER -